Taking Care of Little Sammy
by Candygal
Summary: Dean has one job: to take care of his little brother, no matter what! Sam5 and Dean9. WeeChesters! This is a story about what the boys go through as kids and how Dean has so much on his little shoulders...
1. Sam turns 5

**Author's notes: **This chapter has no real spoilers that I know of. I have always wanted to write a fanfic about this so here it is! I will write chapter after chapter starting from Sam's 5th birthday right up to his 6th birthday. I just got so excited at the thought of writing this so I know it's going to be great :) Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy it!

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'Then the rabbit smiled and turned to his new friend and thanked him for his help' Dean read and then glanced over the book to check on his little brother. Sam was sleeping soundlessly, much to Dean's relief.

'I hate that book' Dean sighed and put it away. He glanced at Sam with a smile. Dean would die a thousand deaths before he ever admitted it, but Sam did look rather adorable when he was asleep. He closed the bedroom window so Sam wouldn't get cold and covered him properly with the blankets since Sam had kicked them off. Dean was satisfied and then walked over to switch on the night-light. The golden light filled the room, but Dean knew it wasn't too bright because it used to be his before Sam got his own room, which was just a few months ago. Dean turned off the main light and left the door partly ajar before heading to his own room and collapsing onto his bed. Sam had been harder to put to bed tonight because he was so hyped up about his birthday tomorrow. The little kid only got one present a year for his birthday and one card. The present was from Dean and John would get Sam a card. The card was always a cool looking one though and Dean would never give his brother a present that wasn't wrapped. Dean checked his closet to make sure the present was still there, nicely wrapped in blue and red striped wrapping paper. He knew Sam didn't trust closets or cupboards, so he would never find it there. Sam had however, searched through Dean's draws and bedside table. He's tipped his bin upside down and tossed everything out. Sam had been under his bed with a torch for two hours and then pulled everything off Dean's bed in search of his present. The determined child even checked under the rug and in Dean's shoes. After a long day of present searching, he'd settle for some food, cartoons and then he was almost ready for bed. So trying to get Sam to sleep was difficult when the boy wouldn't pick a book and kept asking where his present was. Once he annoyed Dan enough, he would then pick Dean's least favourite book to read.

But Dean knew it was okay once he was able to get to his own bed and sleep. Sammy was only young and as his big brother it was his job to look after him, keep him happy and put up with any of the small, but effectively annoying things Sam did. Or the amount of questions Sam was able to come up with. How that small boy was able to think of a million different questions to ask each day was the biggest mystery to Dean.

Dean yawned and got under the covers. He closed his eyes, finally at peace from his duties as Sam's brother for the time being, at least until Sam awoke him at 7am in the morning…

* * *

'Dean!' A scream reached his ears and jolted him awake at once. He got up and dashed to his brother's room. He saw the curtains wide open and the sun was peeking over the mountains. Little Sam was sitting on his bed and reaching for his big brother.

'What is it? Are you okay, Sammy?' Dean asked, now alert and concerned for his brother.

'I'm fine' Sam smiled. 'It's my birthday!' the little boy got up and started jumping on the bed in overwhelmed excitement.

Dean allowed his brain to register that Sam was fine, which meant the earliness of the day crept to his realisation and he then felt buggered. Dean slowly made his way back to bed, but a small hand grabbed him and pulled him back. Dean turned and was hit instantly by Sam's puppy eyes, but they were sad and disappointed.

'Where you going Dean?' Sam asked, his voice soft and excitement gone. 'You s'posed to say Happy Birthday and gimme my present' the boy sniffed and Dean hung his head in defeat, scooping the growing boy into his arms and carrying him to his own room.

'Sammy' Dean sighed. 'I am really tired okay? But-'

'You're always tired' Sam pouted. 'You're no fun'

Dean put him down and told him to close his eyes. Sam squeezed his eyes tight and Dean quickly grabbed the present from the closet and held it in front of Sam.

'Open' Dean said and Sam's eye grew large at the sight of his present.

'It's HUGE!' Sam gasped and sat down with it, staring at it with his big, kid eyes.

'It's not that big' Dean shrugged. 'Open it Sammy'

Sam glanced over at Dean's alarm clock, seeing it was 6:57am.

'I can't' Sam sighed.

'Huh? Why not?' Dean asked.

'You said!' Sam yelled like it was Dean's fault and in Sam's eyes, it was always Dean's fault…unless daddy was being mean. 'You said, I can't open my present until the stupid clock saids it has a seven and then two zeros sitting next to each other' Sam pouted and walked over to the clock. He stood there and stared at it, almost without blinking.

Dean yawned and lay down on his bed, hoping Sam would be occupied long enough for him to catch a bit more sleep.

Sam gasped as the numbers changed but then frowned again when it still hadn't turned 7am. 'Dean!' Sam complained loudly, bringing Dean from his slight slumber. 'Make it go faster!'

'I can't control time, Sammy' Dean replied with his eyes closed.

'Yes you can!' Sam snapped at him. 'You can do anything! Like Superman'

Dean opened an eye to peek a look at Sam. The boy was running around the room with his hands in front of him as though he was Superman and flying.

Sam was making noises and then stopped suddenly. He raced back to the clock and saw he there was a nine at the end and sighed. There was a sound from one of the other rooms and Dean guessed their dad was up now. Sam grinned and ran out of the room with his present.

'Daddy!' Sam ran to him and jumped, lucky enough John caught him and raised him up into the hair for a hug.

'Hey Sam' John smiled. 'Happy birthday' he said and handed Sam a card that was tucked in an envelope.

'Thanks daddy!' Sam smiled as his father put him down; he then rushed to check the time and jumped in joy, as it was exactly 7am. He tore the wrapping paper to shreds and yanked the contents out. It was a box that contained a few books that Sam didn't already have, a blue t-shirt and a puzzle set.

'It's not much' Dean shrugged and wished he could have got Sam a large toy fire truck or something, but Sam seemed to be delighted with his present.

'Thankyou Dean!' Sam hugged his brother tightly and went through the books. There were five in all and since Sam liked books about adventures and animals, Dean had picked ones that resembled that.

'Read me' Sam held up one of the books to Dean.

'Not now Sam-'

'Pleeeease!' Sam pleaded.

'Fine' Dean sighed and grabbed the book. Sam climbed onto the bed to sit beside his big brother while he read him the book about crocodiles.

* * *

After Dean was finished, he handed the book back to Sam and sighed at the confused look on his face.

'Um, Dean?' Sam asked.

'Yeah?' Dean replied as he grabbed his brother and led him down the stairs to start getting him breakfast.

'Why didn't the crocodile visit a tooth-doctor when his tooth hurt?' Sam questioned.

'They're called dentists' Dean told him and searched for the lucky charms box. 'And they're a long way from town so um, it was too far for him to walk' Dean replied while John shook his head in amusement. Sam's amount of questions was a mystery to John as well, that boy was just able to come up with so many without even understanding that not everything was supposed to be logical.

'Oh' Sam nodded. 'Then why didn't the crocodile cry when the rabbit pulled his tooth out? When I pull one of my teeth out it hurts and I cry' Sam stated while John tried not to laugh.

'Um…' Dean thought and shrugged. 'Maybe…maybe he was a very brave crocodile?'

'Like you?' Sam wondered.

'Yeah…like me' Dean nodded and placed a bowl in front of Sam along with a spoon.

'Do you think the tooth fairy came for his tooth that night?' Sam then asked and John had to leave the room, it was too much for him to handle.

'Tooth fairy?' Dean frowned in disgust. 'She's not real' he admitted since the last thing he needed was his brother to believe in tooth fairies.

'Is too!' Sam snapped.

'Just…eat' Dean poured some lucky charms into the bowl along with milk. He then pushed it towards Sam and the boy glared at him before finally picking up his spoon and eating.

* * *

A few hours later and Dean was finally able to just sit and watched some TV while Sam played with his new puzzle and laughing at his birthday card. John had gone out a few minutes ago but Sam was being more used to it and less upset about his father just leaving them every few days.

'Dean?' Sam looked up at his brother. 'Does dad love us?'

'What? Yeah, of course he does' Dean turned to him. 'He's just got a lot of work to do'

'Okay' Sam nodded and turned back to his puzzle, which he was doing for the 4th time.

Dean sighed and turned back to the TV. The cartoon he had been watching had just gone to an ad break and the moment Dean saw the screen his jaw dropped.

'Sammy, look!' Dean said loudly and his brother turned right around in time to see the commercial for the new Batman movie that had just come out in cinemas.

'That Batman?' Sam asked, unsure.

'Hell yeah, it's Batman!' Dean grinned.

'Okay' Sam nodded and shrugged.

'Sam' Dean said in shock. 'This is Batman! He's the coolest guy in the whole world!'

'Really?' Sam asked, getting excited now. 'In the whole world?'

'Yeah!' Dean said. 'The whole world'

'Even cooler than the Easter Bunny?'

'Ah…yeah, the Easter Bunny' Dean frowned, but then replaced his expression with a grin. 'Even cooler'

'Wow' Sam gasped, having no idea what they were talking about anymore. 'I wanna see him!' Sam yelled and got to his feet. 'Dean! Take me to see him!' he demanded.

'I don't have any money' Dean confessed sadly.

'Grow some!' Sam told him. 'I read story that said you can plant money and it'll grow'

'Sam' Dean sighed, hating to break Sam's excitement. 'Stories are just stories…they aren't real'

'But…why do people write them?'

'Um' Dean searched for the right answer, which Sam always expected him to have. 'Ah, well…because people like to read them, I guess' he shrugged.

'But why?' Sam wondered.

'Sam, I don't know…just, cuz' Dean frowned, sick of always having to know the answer to everything.

'I'm sorry' Sam sniffed.

'For what?' Dean asked.

'For making you mad' Sam told him.

'I'm not mad, okay…I'm just a bit tired'

'You're always tired' Sam pouted.

'Yeah' Dean sighed and turned back to the TV.

Sam sat on the floor quietly for a moment and watched his brother curiously. 'Dean?' he asked, holding up a book. 'Can you read to me?'

* * *

By the time Dean had read and re-read many books, he had to find something for Sam to eat. So he heated up Spaghetti O, which Sam loved and then they settled for some homemade birthday cake that Dean had made himself this year. John had gotten all the ingredients and left a recipe for Dean to follow. After that, Dean gave Sam a bath. Sam loved the bubbles and sometimes threw them at Dean, so both boys were sopping wet in less than ten minutes. Dean them helped him dress, before carrying the now-tired boy to his bedroom for another late-night story.

Dean placed the book back where it belonged. He then checked the window was shut, that Sam's blankets were just right and that the night-light was on, before he left the door slightly ajar and wandered to his own room. Dean collapsed onto his own bed and breathed a sigh of relief. Then it was about him. He had his shower and dressed in his own pyjamas. Dean made his way back to his room, but checked that Sam was okay before doing so.

Sam was sleeping soundlessly in his warm bed, clutching a random stuffed toy lightly.

'Happy Birthday, Sammy' Dean smiled and finally went to bed himself…

* * *

**Author's notes: **Well? How was it?! Please review and let me know what you thought of it and please! If you have any ideas/hopes etc as to what you'd like to read. Such as some first moments for Sam and/or Dean. (Next chapter for example: Sam's first time to the Cinemas), or anything like that then please, I would really love to hear it :D. 


	2. He's Batman!

**Author's notes: **Thanks 'PipkinTwo' for your rewivew and don't worry, there's more to come! Thanks 'meilinglovesshaoran' for your review and I like your social worker idea! Think I will use that! Not sure when yet, but soon :). Thanks 'Touch of the Wind' for your review and you're not the only one that suggested Sam's first day of school so that does mean something...um, but I'm not overly familiar with when kids start first grade or whatever, so if anyone knows what schooling a 5-year-old in America goes to...then I'd love to hear it! Thanks 'sammygirl1963' for your review! I'm am so happy you could picture the events because i could too! And Sam's already lost his first tooth, but kids have more than one tooth right :D First broken bone sounds interesting...a plaster hehe. Thanks 'banana4dean' (interesting name btw lol) for your review! Both boys do have a heart of gold and yes, Sammy is cute! hehe. Thanks 'write-of-way' for your review also and you're welcome:)

Now to get down to busniness :P Um, this chapter was written because a few days ago I went to the movies to see 'Bee Movie' which was my first time to go to the movies by myself properly. I mean my own transport, money and with no one with me (yeah i'm 17...but this was a big deal for me!). And when I was wating for the movie to start, I saw these two boys coming up the stairs. One kid was clutching to his drink for dear life while his elder brother helped him up the stairs...I just HAD to do this! I LOVE it and I hope you guys do too!**

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'Please dad? Please?' Dean begged the following morning. 

'Dean!' John frowned in annoyance. 'Fine!' he gave in and glared at the huge grin on Dean's face. 'How much do you need?' he sighed.

'Um…well there's tickets…popcorn and a drink, I dunno' Dean shrugged.

John went through his pockets and wallet for as much change that he could gather. He knew another credit card scam was high on his to-do list.

'Here' John placed all the money he could find into Dean's outstretched hands. 'It's not much, but it should do'

'Thanks dad!' Dean hugged him and ran to find Sam.

'R-Rab…' Sam glared at his book closely. 'Rab-bit' he tried to read. He had so many books involving rabbits that he was beginning to recognise the word in his books. 'Rabbit!' he cheered and heard someone running up the stairs.

'Sammy!' Dean appeared at the doorway with a huge grin on his face.

'Dean!' Sam held up his book. 'Rabbit!' he cheered, wanting to celebrate the fact he can read the word.

'Yeah…hey Sammy? Remember when we saw Batman on TV?'

'No' Sam looked confused. 'Oh! Guy better than Easter Bunny?'

'Yeah' Dean nodded. 'Well guess what? We're going to see him! At the movies…right now!'

'Now?' Sam stood up, totally as overexcited as his brother was. 'Yay!'

Dean grinned and grabbed Sam's jacket from the end of the bed. 'Put this one okay? And find some socks and your shoes. I'll meet you at the door in a few minutes to help you put them on'

'Okay' Sam nodded and looked around for the items while Dean ran to his room and grabbed his schoolbag. It was rather small, so it was perfect for what they were about to do. He placed the money into a paper bag and then stuffed it into the front of the bag. Dean grabbed his jacket and got his shoes on. He then ran down the stairs and got two water bottles from the kitchen, filling them up and tossing them into the bag. After that he found Sam and his sunglasses over near the microwave and looked up as his brother came cautiously down the stairs.

'Found them!' Sam smiled proudly, holding up his shoes, socks and his jacket was hanging loosely at his elbows.

Dean put his stuff down and fixed Sam's jacket, put on his socks and tied his shoes.

'You found them!' Sam grinned as Dean passed his sunglasses to him.

'Okay, ready?' Dean asked, checking he had everything before putting on his own sunglasses and placing the bag on his back.

'Yup' Sam nodded and held Dean's hand.

* * *

It was about a fifteen-minute walk to the Cinemas in town. Dean pushed open the front door and told Sam to stay close. They got into line for their tickets and while Dean was trying to count up the money, Sam stared at all of the promotional posters that were on every wall he could find.

Dean had been to the movies a few times before, but this was defiantly Sam's first time.

'That Batman?' Sam wondered and pointed to the poster not too far away.

'Sure is' Dean nodded.

'It looks scary' Sam said and Dean looked at him in concern.

'Can I help you?' the lady at the counter asked Dean once she'd done serving those that had been in front of them.

'Um yeah, we're here to see-' Sam grabbing him cut Dean's request short.

'Dean! I wanna see that one!' Sam pointed eagerly to the poster only a metre or so away.

'Alice in Wonderland?' Dean read and frowned.

'There's a rabbit in it and the cat looks magic!' Sam grinned.

'Sorry, we can only see one…and that's Batman' Dean told him and Sam nodded, but his looked so sad and disappointed. Dean turned back to the lady and sighed angrily. 'Um, two tickets for Alice in Wonderland' Dean rolled his eyes and Sam grinned.

'Okay' the lady smiled and got their tickets. 'Would you like anything else?'

'Can I get anything with this?' Dean placed all the money on the counter.

'Um, well…a drink and two small popcorn boxes'

'I'll have that' Dean nodded and looked down at his brother, whom was looking up at him happily.

'I love you, Dean' the boy hugged him.

'There you go' the lady handed Dean a medium drink and two boxes of popcorn.

'Sam, this is yours but don't eat it yet' Dean handed him a box.

'Why?' Sam wondered but did as he was told.  
Dean led him over to another line where they waited for a couple more minutes. A man tore the two tickets Dean held out and gestured them towards Cinema number four.

'Come on' Dean told Sam.

'Where we going?' Sam asked nervously.

'To see the movie' Dean told him and the boys entered the room.

'Why can't we watch it at home?' Sam asked.

'Because it's better here' Dean told him and looked around for a spot to sit.

'Wow! Is that a TV?' Sam gasped at the large screen.

'Ah…yup' Dean nodded and gave Sam a little nudge towards the stairs leading up to more seats.

Sam took the hint and started going up the stairs, clutching his popcorn box tightly. He tripped on one of the steps and fell forward, knocking his popcorn everywhere. Sam saw it lying there and started to cry.

'Hey, it's alright' Dean comforted him. 'Come on, you can have mine'

Sam sniffed and wiped his nose with the back of his hands. He got up and made his way up some more stairs until Dean grabbed him and told him to sit. Sam moved past the first seat and sat on the one beside it.

'What is this for?' Sam asked about the cup-holders on the chair divider.

'For this' Dean placed their drink into it and Sam nodded, looking at his fallen popcorn sadly.

'Don't spill this one okay?' Dean said and handed his box of popcorn to Sam. The boy held it as tight as he could and tried to resist eating it, as it smelt so good.

'Why isn't the movie starting?' Sam frowned.

'It's not time yet' Dean glanced at his watch. 'We still have a few minutes' Dean told him and watched each person around them carefully. This was a lot more people that what either of them was used to so it was making him nervous, at least most of them were kids. Dean turned away again as it was sad to see how many of the kids were here with their mums and dads.

'When can I eat popcorn?' Sam complained.

'Once the movie starts' Dean told him and sighed in relief as the room started to darken and the screen lit up with the ratings and some other boring information.

Sam stared at the screen with his mouth hanging open. He just couldn't believe how big it was, but then the sound hit him and he covered his ears in panic.

'Dean, turn it down' Sam pleaded.

'I can't, try to get used to it' Dean said. 'And remember, you need to be quiet when the movie starts okay?'

Sam removed his ears and looked at his popcorn.

'Has the movie started yet?' he asked.

'No' Dean replied and the brothers watched the ad for some other coming soon movie. Sam would ask at the beginning of ever ad if it was the movie, so Dean was glad when the movie actually did start. The room got even darker as the lights went out totally.

'Dean! I'm scared!' Sam yelped and grabbed his arm.

'It's okay, Sammy' Dean comforted him. 'It's just so we can see the movie better'

'So it's starting?' Sam asked hopefully.

'Yeah' Dean told him and was sure Sam was shoving handfuls of popcorn into his mouth now.

'Yum' Sam grinned. 'This is better than the popcorn daddy makes'

'Shh, you need to be quiet now' Dean hissed.

Sam looked back to the big screen and smiled. He continued to eat the popcorn happily and sipped the drink every now and again. His legs swung happily during most of the movie, except for some parts that scared him and he clung to Dean. By the first few minutes, the popcorn was gone and when the film was about halfway, the drink was almost empty.

* * *

Dean rolled his eyes and glanced away from the screen. He hated this movie and really was looking forward to seeing Batman, but now he knew there wasn't enough money to. But at least Sam was having the best first cinema experience. He looked back to the screen anxiously as the credits began to start and the lights came back on. 

'Wow' Sam smiled. 'That was cool! Can we watch movies on this big TV more often?'

'Yeah, maybe' Dean sighed. 'Come on' he helped Sam off his seat and Sam jumped down each step he could find. They also disposed of any rubbish once they exited the room.

'How did her dress turn into an umbrella?' Sam wondered.

'Magic' Dean replied dully.

'And how did the scary cat change colours?'

'Magic' Dean shrugged again.

'Where's the bathroom?'

'Ma-' Dean then realised Sam had asked an important question. 'Um' Dean looked around and spotted the toilets at the end of the hall. 'Come on' he led Sam to the men's room and pointed to a cubicle.

'Can you come with me?' Sam asked nervously.

'Why? Dean asked.

Sam shrugged and stared at his feet shyly.

'Whatever' Dean sighed and pushed his brother into the cubicle and glanced around. He noticed that a bin near the sinks wasn't chained to the wall so he grabbed it and turned it on it's side for Sam to stand on. He then locked the cubicle and waited for Sam to do his business.

'Done' Sam announced and climbed down. 'Can I flush?' he asked in excitement once he saw the big button.

Dean rolled his eyes and picked Sam up so the boy could flush the toilet. Then he led him over to the sinks and used the bin again for Sam to be able to reach. Dean turned the water on a bit for both of their sinks and told Sam to put his hands under a strange container. Dean pushed a little button and soap fell onto Sam's hands.

'Cool' Sam smiled and watched as Dean got some for himself. Sam stared at what his brother was doing and copied him exactly, hence washing his own hands properly and thoroughly, just like Dean had hoped he'd do. Then they rinsed and Dean turned off the taps.

'What's that?' Sam pointed to a metal box that was on the wall.

'It helps dry your hands' Dean told him. 'Want to try it?'

'Yeah!' Sam grinned and ran over to it.

'Hold out your hands' Dean said and pushed the button. Sam giggled madly as the warm air rushed onto his hands and started to dry them but after a minute or so it stopped.

'Did it break?' Sam asked.

'No' Dean pushed the button again, throwing Sam into another fit of giggles. Dean sighed and dried his own hands with a paper towel on the other end of the room.

'They dry?' Dean asked and Sam checked his hands over.

'Yup' Sam smiled.

'Let's go' Dean said and the boys left the restroom, and the cinema.

* * *

The boys got home a little bit later to find John sitting at the table, reading a newspaper.

'And then the rabbit ran away and-'

'I know, Sam' Dean said. 'I was there'

'But you weren't watching it' Sam pointed out. 'I know you weren't' he frowned.

'Whatever, glad you had a great time' Dean smiled.

Sam knew Dean was telling the truth but his big brother still looked a bit sad. Dean went over to the kitchen in search of something to eat while Sam turned the TV on and saw the Batman ad again. He looked at Dean and noticed how he was watching the ad sadly before turning back to the fridge. Sam realised why Dean wasn't as happy as he was and waited until Dean had left the room before he ran over to his dad.

'Daddy!' he grabbed his sleeve and John looked down at him in alarm.

'What is it Sammy?'

'Dean. He took me to see Alice in Wonderland because I said Batman looks scary…but he really wants to see Batman because he's cooler than the Easter Bunny…but he couldn't, do you have some money to let Dean see it? Pleease!' Sam begged and put his puppy eyes on in full impact.

John watched as Dean came back and sat on the couch miserably.

'Hey Dean' John said and both his sons watched him. John went over and handed Dean a note. 'Go see Batman'

'What?' Dean asked. He looked over at Sam and saw the grin on his brother's face. 'Really?' he then asked his dad in excitement.

'Yeah. Really' John smiled. 'I'll watch Sam until you get back'

Dean got up and rushed to get his jacket again.

'Dean!' Sam yelled, as he was about to leave.

'Yeah?' Dean turned back.

'I know someone who's cooler than Batman' Sam told him.

'Really? Who?' Dean wondered.

'You' Sam said knowledgeably. 'You're the coolest in the whole world!'

* * *

**Author's notes:** Well hoped you liked this! Please let me know by a review! And I'm still open to any ideas :) love ya guys!

-Mel


	3. Holy

**Author's notes: **Hey guys! Thanks to all my reviewers! Normally I would thank each of you individually here, but the numbers are increasing so we'll be here all day lol! But I am gratful to each and ever one fo you! I have a few ideas swiming aorund my head at the moment so at least we're getting somewhere! I had this urge to show what it was like for Sam and Dean to meet soem of John's friends, such as Missouri, Bobby, etc for the first time. So will do bucn hof chapters here and ther about that. This chapter focuses on one of the friends that will be mentioned time and time again...Pastor Jim.

ENJOY!!**

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**Chapter Three: Holy**

'Dean!' John called his eldest son at 6am.

'Dean! Dean!' Sam ran into his room and jumped onto Dean's bed. 'Daddy's calling you!' the little boy yelled and shook his brother.

Dean groaned and climbed out of bed. He went downstairs and found his father by the door, getting ready to go out.

'Yeah?' Dean mumbled and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

'Gather some stuff, I'm taking you and Sam to stay with a friend of mine, Pastor Jim for a few days' John told him.

Dean nodded and made his way back upstairs. He packed a bunch of things for Sam and then grabbed a few of his own stuff.

'Sam?' he called out. 'Where are you?'

'Here! Here!' Sam jumped into view. 'We moving again?' he asked.

'No, staying with Pastor Jim for the night' Dean told him.

'Who's pasta Jim?' Sam wondered as his brother pushed him towards the direction of the stairs to get him moving.

'A friend of dads' Dean replied. 'And it's "Pastor" not "pasta" okay?'

'Okay' Sam grinned and ran outside. He fiddled with the car door until John moved and opened it for him.

Dean dumped the bags in beside Sam, and then moved to put his brother's seat belt on and shut the door. Dean then got into the front seat beside his dad and wound the window down.

* * *

John drove for about an hour and once he arrived at Jim's place he had to wake Sam and Dean. 

'Boys' he told them as they stood by the car with their stuff. 'I need you to be on your best behaviour okay? And do what you're told' he ordered them and Dean nodded instantly as usual.

'Yes sir!' Sam saluted him.

'Good boy' John ruffled Sam's hair and then nodded to Dean.

'Come on, Sammy' Dean grabbed his brother's hand and they turned around. 'Ah…dad?' Dean frowned once he saw a large church in front of him.

'Bye!' John smiled and waved to his sons as he got back into the Impala and drove off.

'That's one big house' Sam said as his jaw hung open in shock.

'Come on' Dean said and led him into the Church.

* * *

There was a session currently going on, so they sat near the back and just watched. Dean would have tried to get come more sleep, but he couldn't…he had to watch out for Sammy. 

Sam had his head tipped to one side as he listened carefully to what the priest was saying about how God protects his people and those that do wrong will be punished.

'I don't like this place' Sam yelped.

'It's okay' Dean tried to comfort him. 'It's ah…like a club' he shrugged.

'Really? Can I join?' Sam asked in excitement. 'Will I get something? When I joined the book club they gave me a cool bookmark'

'Um, maybe' Dean said and then saw that everyone was standing up.

Sam panicked and stood up on his seat. Dean rolled his eyes and stood up as well, mainly to keep Sam quiet.

'Now pray with me people' the priest said. 'We will thank the lord for keeping us safe and for blessing our children! We will come together as one and ask the lord for guidance to a respectful and pleasant future'

Sam saw the people putting their hands together so he did as well and glared at his brother. Dean rolled his eyes again and copied.

'Amen!' the people said loudly.

'Amen!' Sam yelled and everyone turned to look at him.

'Jesus' Dean cursed and then shut up. He took a small step away from Sam and pretended he didn't know him.

'Young child' the priest spoke. 'Come up here'

Sam look at Dean fearfully but there was also a hint of hope in his eyes.

'Yeah, whatever…go on' Dean sighed and Sam got down from his seat cautiously. He ran past all the people and climbed up the big steps until he reached the priest.

'Hello, what is your name?' the priest asked him nicely.

'Sam' the small boy answered nervously.

'And I haven't seen you around before Sam, have you just moved here?'

'Nope' Sam shook his head. 'My Big Brother and I are staying here with Pasta Jim' he smiled and one of the men behind the priest sniggered to himself.

'Really? Well that's quite an honour' the priest smiled. 'And do you believe in God, Sam?'

'I don't know' Sam replied. 'I've never met him'

'A lot of people haven't, but we know he is watching over us and keeping us safe from harm'

'Really? Did he tell you that?' Sam asked.

Some people laughed while others looked at how adorable the small boy was.

'God works in mysterious ways' the priest smiled. 'How would you like to give a pray to the lord? Is their anything you're thankful for?'

'Oh yes, lots' Sam nodded and noticed how everyone was looking at him proudly.

'Okay, then why don't you say thankyou to the lord?'

'But how can he hear me?' Sam wondered.

'The lord can do anything'

'Anything?' Sam gasped. 'Wow, he sounds cool'

More people laughed and then Sam smiled and looked up at the priest.

'Where does God live?' Sam wondered.

'In Heaven, he looks after all that have left us'

'Okay…can I thank my Big Brother too? I don't want him to think I like God more'

'Of course' the priest smiled. 'Go ahead.

'Um' Sam remembered all that he had heard and seen the other people do and he wanted to do this right so he put his hands together like they had and tried to sound like they had.

'Thank you Mr Lord for looking after Daddy so he can come home to us when he's finished working' Sam tried. 'Thanks for making Trees grow big and tall so Dean and I can climb them, and so they give us shade when it's hot. Thankyou Dean for taking me to see the Big TV, even if you didn't like Alice in Wonderland' he said. 'Um, and thank you Mr Lord for taking care of my mummy, please tell her Dean and I miss her and we're being good boys' Sam sniffed but was determined. 'And I'm happy I got the best Big Brother in the world' he smiled. 'Amen' once he finished, every person in the room clapped loudly and grinned proudly at him.

'God bless this child' the priest said loudly and everyone started cheering while Dean sat in his seat quietly. He regretted letting Sam go up there now, he didn't like thinking about his mother because it made him so sad, but at least Sam had prayed in a way that made it almost okay that she was gone. Maybe there was hope. Dean wanted to believe in God like Sam now probably did, but he still didn't like the fact that God took Mary from him.

* * *

After everyone had left, the man that had sniggered before approached Sam and Dean with a smile. 

'Hey boys' he smiled. 'I'm Pastor Jim'

'Hi!' Sam waved happily. 'Did you see me? I spoke to God!'

'Yeah, well done Sam' Jim winked. 'Now come on, Let's go back to my place shall we?'

'You don't live here?' Sam asked. 'It's big enough'

Jim laughed and nodded. 'Yeah it is, but no…I live across the road'

He led the boys outside and over to his house.

'Are you boys hungry?'

'Starving!' Sam grinned and Dean shrugged.

'Where do we sleep?' Dean asked, holding his and Sam's bags.

'Upstairs, the first bedroom on your right' Jim told him and Dean went to put their bags away while Jim made some sandwiches.

'You like ham and cheese?' Jim asked Sam.

'Yup! Dean does too' Sam nodded.

The boys sat outside and ate their lunch while Jim sat in his office and did some research. But his desk was right beside the window so he could keep the boys in his sight at all times.

Sam finished his sandwiches and stared at the sky.

'You okay?' Dean asked and put his plate aside too.

'I'm looking for God' Sam told him.

'Right…um' Dean looked around and spotted a tennis ball that looked like it had been tossed over by a neighbour. 'Wanna play a game?' Dean asked.

'Yay!' Sam jumped up and followed Dean.

'Okay, go down there' Dean pointed a few metres away. Sam obeyed and watched his brother in interest.

'Good. I'm going to throw the ball and you catch it okay?'

'OKAY!' Sam yelled loudly, not sure if Dean would be able to hear him. He then saw the ball coming for him and ducked.

'You have to catch it' Dean smiled.

Sam picked the ball up and looked at it. 'What now?'

'Throw it back!' Dean instructed.

Sam didn't know if he could throw it all the way over to Dean so he tossed it has hard as he could, which hurt Dean's hand when he caught it.

'Not so hard' Dean said. 'Okay, you ready?'

'Yup!' Sam yelled back and then saw the ball coming towards him. He panicked and ducked again.

* * *

After another half hour of attempts, Sam finally tried to catch some of the throws.

'Got it!' Sam yelled in triumph as he held the tennis ball tightly in his hands. Dean clapped loudly to congratulate him then he braced himself for another hard throw from Sam.

Jim looked up from his study of Djinns and saw the boys playing happily. It was a nice sight to see them smiling in such a carefree way and to heard them laugh together was the best sound in the world. John had them so confined to their homes and so cautious of everything, so this was just so wonderful.

'Here comes' Dean announced and threw the ball again. Sam looked up at it and had his hands ready, but didn't react in time and the ball bounced off his head, knocking him backwards in shock.

'You okay, Sammy?' Dean ran over. 'Sorry'

'I'm okay!' Sam announced and touched his head. 'Ouch…I'm not okay'

Dean laughed and pulled Sam to his feet. 'You'll live'

'Boys' Jim called them from the house. 'Time to come in now, it's getting late'

* * *

The boys ate their dinner and bathed, after that they were asleep as soon as they hit their pillows. Dean had made sure that Sam's nightlight was plugged in though, but Jim did everything else. He closed the window and fixed the blankets of both the boys, he then read them a story and turned off the light, leaving the door slightly ajar. Dean had ever felt so calm before, to know someone else was looking after both him and Sammy. 

Jim went back to his office and sighed. He knew why the boys were here tonight. John was on a very dangerous hunt and wasn't really sure he could make it pass this one so he had to ensure the boys weren't going to be by themselves or passed on to social services if he didn't show up. He had to make sure they were in good hands…and that annoyed Jim. John was increasingly lacking as a father to the boys and was now more of a trainer and protector.

'Oh well, what can you do about it?' he muttered and switched off his light, stifling a yawn.

* * *

The next morning, Sam awoke to find Dean wasn't in his bed. He panicked and jumped out of bed. 

'Dean!' he screamed in fear and his brother did not show up. 'Dean!' he then started crying until Jim found him.

'Sam? What's wrong?' Jim asked and picked the tearful boy up.

'Dean's gone! Why did he leave me? He's never left me before!' Sam cried.

'Shhh, it's okay' Jim said. 'Dean is just at the church'

'Church?' Sam looked confused and horrified.

'Ah…the big house we were at yesterday, across the street'

'Oh…what's he doing there?' Sam wondered. 'Oh! Dean didn't get to talk to God' he smiled.

'Ah…something like that' Jim said uncertainly, but actually didn't know what Dean was doing there. The priest was over there however so he knew he was okay, plus it was a holy ground.

* * *

Dean wandered down the isle and passed all of the long, wooden seats. He went up the stairs and 

He stood in front of the large cross with a figure of Jesus on it. He glanced to check no one was looking and put his hands together.

'God…Hey, it's Dean. You and me haven't really talked for a long time. I guess I kind of stopped believing in you since my mum left' Dean whispered, unaware that the priest was watching and listening nearby.

'But I guess since my brother believes in you then I guess I better at least thank you too' Dean sighed. 'Um, I'm not so good at this though okay? Well, thankyou for looking after my mum. And for watching out for Dad because he needs all the help he can get…um, thanks for making Sammy happy and yeah…Amen' he shrugged. 'I hope my mum is happier there, but I miss her' he sniffed. He wiped his nose on his sleeve, which was something that Sam usually did, not him. 'Anyway…just wanted you to know that I'm not mad at you anymore' Dean sighed and walked back towards the exit.

The priest smiled and looked towards the cross himself.

'God bless that boy and all of his family' he said once he heard the doors close again. 'May the Holy Lord of Heaven watch over these two children, may you guild them through their pain and teach them all they are to learn...for these boys have a strong destiny at your service. For no evil shall dare enter their hearts, for no burden placed upon them too hard to bare, and for no corruption at their fault' he smiled. 'Amen'

* * *

**Author's notes: This is one of the chapters I'm most proud of, so I hope you all loved it as much as I did :) Anyways, let me know what you think while I work on more chappys. Oh, I am also going to go with the social worker storyline offreed to me. Just so you all know, I am greatful for every idea offered to me!**

**-Mel**


	4. Good Intentions

**Author's notes: **Here is chappy 4 but it's darker then the other ones.

Thanks to the following people for your reviews: Living in a fantasy, DeanandSamlover, bannana4dean, sammygirl1963 and touch of the wind. I would give more thanks and commesnts but my time here is short right now. I also want to thank my little sister Tiana, glad you liked it and here is more!

**Warning: **Some language and dark themes, but also violence.

Also this chapter is my idea of why Dean is such an obedient soldier because what little kid is like that? None, well not until Dean learns what happens when he doens't do what he's told...**

* * *

**

**Chapter Four: Good intentions**

Pastor Jim answered the door later that afternoon to find John standing there. He had a bandaged wrist and a cut across his face, but was otherwise fine.

'Hey, I want you to see something' Jim whispered and led John to his office. He carefully pulled back the curtains and pointed to where the two boys were playing with the tennis ball again.

'They're so happy, John' Jim frowned.

'Look, I have a lot to do' John sighed and went to get his sons.

'Dean, Sam…time to go' John said loudly and the tennis ball slipped sadly from Dean's hand.

'Daddy!' Sam ran over and hugged him.

'Hey Sammy. Dean, get your bags' he instructed and Dean obeyed.

'Daddy guess what?' Sam grinned. 'I talked to God!'

'Come again?' John frowned and looked at Sam. 'What?'

'When I was at the big house with Dean, the loud man said I could pray to God and thank him…so I did. I thanked him for keeping mu-'

'Sammy, not now' Dean butted in before Sam brought the topic of mum up again.

Sam frowned but then saw Jim bringing a paper bag over.

'This is from the priest, he said you could have this' he handed the bag to Sam and a candy bar to Dean.

'Wowie!' Sam grinned and pulled out a bible and then a holy cross.

Dean and John glanced at each other and then decided it was time to go.

* * *

John took them back "home" and went to get some rest while Sam looked through his bag with such fascination and in search of his own candy bar. 

Dean seated himself in front of the TV and knew Sam would get bored of the bag sooner or later.

'Come on' John returned and hour later with Sam following close behind him. 'I have some work to do and some social worker is stalking me so we're going to go eat out tonight'

'Social worker?' Dean asked and got up.

'What's that?' Sam wondered, feeling it was important.

'Someone that takes kids away from their family' John grunted, hoping if the boys were afraid of them then they would keep their mouths shut.

Sam grabbed Dean tightly as though he was scared he would disappear.

* * *

John took the boys into a restaurant and found them a table that was as distant as possible from the window and any other entrances/exits. 

'Okay, now stay here' he ordered them.

'But…where are you going?' Sam asked panickly.

'Out' John replied.

'But dad!' Dean complained.

'Shut up, you do not leave this table understand? And Dean, don't leave Sam…not even for a second' John then left out the fire escape that led to the back alley.

Both boys pouted in their seats and Sam starting swinging his legs boredly.

'Can I get you boys anything?' a waitress asked as she came over.

Dean then noticed the menu on the table and picked it up. 'Can we um…have some, fish and chips?' he asked.

'Sure' she smiled.

'Soda!' Sam jumped in. 'I want Soda'

'Make that two' Dean sighed.

The waitress smiled and walked away to fulfil their orders.

'This isn't fun Dean' Sam frowned.

'I know' Dean said. Their dad was always bossing them around, telling them to stay there and do nothing! What harm could it possible do if he and Sam had a bit of fun?

The waitress gave them their food and a glass of soda each, along with a straw.

'I wanted soda' Sam frowned at his cup.

'It is soda' Dean told him. 'They just put it in a cup so it's easier' Dean handed Sam the straw.

Dean wanted to make sure that Sam had some sort of manners, so he picked up his own fork and knife to cut up his fish.

'Ergh' Sam frowned. 'I hate fish' he cringed his nose.

'Then eat your chips' Dean frowned and used his fork to eat his own chips.

Sam glanced at Dean using his fork and picked up the one beside his plate. If Dean was using his fork, then Sam knew he had to too.

'Ketchup' Sam reached for the bottle and squeezed a large glob of it on his plate. He giggled and then ate his chips, bathing them in as much ketchup as he possibly could.

* * *

After they'd eaten, the boys ordered desert and that was ice cream with a chocolate milkshake. 

'All gone' Sam looked sadly at his bowl after he'd finished licking it down. 'Now what, Dean?'

'I dunno' Dean sighed. 'But dad's not back yet'

'And daddy said we have to stay here' Sam pouted.

Dean couldn't stand this; he hated doing everything his dad told him. He glanced over to a family a table or so beside them.

'I don't want to!' a boy was yelling at his father and got off his seat. He walked away and Dean watched what the father did. The father just frowned and then turned to his wife.

'Just leave him, if he doesn't want to do it…we can't force him'

'Sam!" Dean grinned.

'I see' Sam said as he had also been watching the family.

'Come on' Dean got up and pulled his brother from the seat.

* * *

John returned an hour later and a waitress grabbed him, demanding he pay the check. So John did and then glanced to the table, where it was…empty. Totally cleared down. 

'Where are the boys?' he asked the waitress.

'I don't know' she frowned. 'This ain't a day car centre' she frowned and walked off.

'Sam!' John yelled, not caring who heard him. 'Dean!' He then heard a "crash" from the boy's bathrooms and ran inside. There were his two sons, wrapped in toilet paper and giggled on the floor madly.

'Daddy, look! I'm a snowman' Sam grinned while Dean's smirk instantly vanished at the look on his father's face.

'Come on, Sammy' Dean grabbed his brother and quickly walked past John, right back to their table.

John growled and grabbed the boys, carrying them outside and pushed them into the back seat of the Impala, toilet paper and all.

'Sam, bed' John demanded the moment they got home at about 10:30.

'But Dean hasn't read me story!' Sam yelled, also noticing the look on his father's face.

Dean rushed to his brother's aid and took him upstairs. He bathed him and then tucked him into bed.

'Dean' Sam said fearfully. 'Daddy looks real scary tonight' he sniffed. 'Is he going to punish us?'

'No' Dean lied. 'Of course not, just get to sleep okay? Everything will be okay, trust me' Dean read him a few stories until the boy was asleep and then fearfully went downstairs.

'Dad, I'm sorry-' Dean started.

'I told you not to leave that table' John frowned. He had to teach Dean how dangerous it was to disobey an order. One mistake could get them all killed.

'I know, I'm sorry!' Dean said. 'We just got bored…but I didn't leave Sam! Not for a second, sir'

'Dean, don't you understand what could have happened?' John growled.

'N-no' Dean replied honestly.

'What if I had come back and something was after us? What if I had to get you boys out as fast as possible…do you not realise just how stupid and dangerous your actions were tonight?'

'I understand now! I won't do it again, I promise!' Dean pleaded as John as his father got out the belt. John wasn't the type to resort to violence in order to teach anything, but Dean just had to understand that he wasn't to ever disobey his orders. One belting and John knew he wouldn't have to do it ever again.

* * *

Sam awoke once he heard something. He jumped out of bed and rushed to Dean's room. Upon seeing he wasn't there, Sam tiptoed down the stairs and what he saw made him cry. He saw John giving Dean the last spank with the belt, but it hit his bare leg instead of his backside, which was bound to leave a bruise. Sam gulped as though he couldn't breathe and ran back up the stairs. 

Sam dived under his bed and moved as far from the door as possible. He was so scared. Not that his dad was going to get him, but for Dean.

* * *

The next morning, Dean woke at about 9am and was surprised that Sam hadn't woken him, not once. He panicked and got out of bed. He ran into Sam's room and search madly for his brother. He found Sam under his bed asleep. 

'Sammy?' he asked, waking his brother.

Sam opened his eyes and saw Dean watching him worriedly. He climbed out from under the bed and hugged Dean as tight as he could.

Dean didn't know why Sam was hugging him so firmly, but he hugged him back. He was still rather shaken from the light before and daresay; he'd learnt his lesson.

Sam knew Dean was hurt and Dean was longing to be close with Sam, as a comfort thing. As much as it was Dean that looked after Sam all his life, now the tables seemed to have turned. Sam grabbed random books and made up a story for the pictures since he couldn't read it. He then raced to the kitchen and made Dean and himself some cereal and gave the last bit of juice to Dean. After several hours of watching TV together, Sam pulled Dean outside so he could try and learn to ride his bike again.

'Ouch!' Sam gasped as his bike tipped sideways and the handle slammed against his arm. He had been doing so well until this point. And that had really hurt. Sam started crying and Dean picked him up, pulling him away from the bike.

'It's okay, Sammy' he said, comforting his little brother. Dean held his hand and the boys went back to the house.

* * *

John came home later that night and when Dean saw him…he got off the couch and bolted upstairs as fast as his legs could carry him, making him trip over the things in his bedroom and that wasn't painless. His bruised leg made contact with the floor while he received another bruise from his ribs hitting against his closet. Dean caught his breath and dived into bed, covering himself with the sheets. 

John felt bad, but he knew it just had to be done. The problem now was gaining Dean's trust again because if he had any hope of keeping the boys alive, they had to trust him.

* * *

'Dean!' Sam's panicked squeals woke him the next morning. 'There someone at the door! I know Daddy said not to open it…but they saw me' Sam climbed onto his bed and shook Dean. 

'Dean was in alert at once and hurried to get dressed. He pulled on some shorts and a random t-shirt as the knocking downstairs continued.

Dean ran downstairs and unlocked all the locks on the door, before pulling it open cautiously.

'Hello' a lady smiled at him. She had brunette hair and was wearing dark work clothing. Behind her were two men dressed in dark suits. 'I'm Kathy Jones, I'm a social worker…can I speak to your father?'

'Can I see some ID?' Dean asked nervously once she said she was a social worker and Sam behind him tried not to cry as he clung to his brother's side. Dean had told him to stay upstairs, but Sam found that scarier, compared to confronting the people with his brother.

'Smart kid' Kathy smiled to the men. She pulled out her wallet and let Dean have a hard look at her ID. 'Is your father there?' she asked again once Dean let her have her ID back.

'No…he ah, just went to town for some pizza' Dean improvised.

'Oh, well we can wait for him' Kathy said since she was here on official business. 'Can I come in?'

'No' Dean said firmly. 'Dad doesn't like us letting strangers in, no matter who you work for'

'Go away!' Sam snapped.

'Sammy, shh' Dean instructed. 'He doesn't like strangers either' he explained to the people and gulped. 'Come back later' Dean said and went to shut the door but Kathy stopped it.

'I'm sorry, I can't do that' Kathy sighed once she'd seen the bruise on his leg the moment he'd tried to shut the door. He also noticed the younger boy had a bruise on his arm that he was seemingly trying to cover up.

'Don't take us away!' Sam pleaded.

'We just want to help you' Kathy told them.

'Then leave us alone' Dean frowned and did slam the door. He locked it up again and the two boys raced upstairs.

Kathy sighed, she didn't want to resort to this but after the complaints from the restaurant and from what she has observed…she was afraid those kids were being treated badly.

'Go get them' she sighed. 'But be careful' she said and the men broke the door open. 'We have to save them from their father' Kathy said in determination.

* * *

Author's notes: So the social workers have the boys...John must be thrilled! Let me know whatcha think of this chappy please! 


	5. This isn't Daddy's house

**Author's notes: **Thanks 'banana4dean' for your review and you're right. Dean is only nine-years-old and has to take care of someone only four years younger than himself, but they're both children.Thanks 'Living in a fantasy' for your review. Yeah, Dean needs to realise that Sam is there for him too, but don't worry...later chaps will have him see that and they'll bond on another level. John's decision is gonna bite him in the ass for sure. Thanks 'Write-of-way' for your review. You're only assuming it's John that saves them, tee-hee. Thanks 'sammygirl1963' Yeah, he only had to spank Dean once, but once seems to be all it took! Thanks 'Ditzyleo' for your review and here's the next chapter!

I'm gonna add chapters a little faster now cuz so much has been done on this fic and I just find some chapters so hilarious and I wanna know what you all think. And remember how the boys met Pastor Jim? Well I'm going to have them meet a lot more of John's friends so it'll be good, also going to write where certain parts of the boys changed (like Sam's fear of clowns, Dena's fear of flying etc). Anyways, hope y'all like this chapter cuz it's got a happy-ish ending!**

* * *

**

**Chapter Five: This isn't Daddy's House**

Dean sat in the interrogation-like room and stared at his hands. He felt scared and humiliated. That woman, Kathy…she had requested a check up on Dean. The looks he was given when they took photos of him and the way they whispered amongst each other…he was terrified and just prayed they had left his brother alone. Since they had taken him and Sam from the house, he had not seen his brother and that scared him. He had never quite been away from Sam like this before.

'Dean?' Kathy came into the room and sat across from him. 'I'm sorry we had to do this, but trust me…it's for the best'

'Where's Sam?' Dean asked angrily.

'Don't worry, he's fine' Kathy said.

'I said: Where's Sam?' Dean growled and moved away from her.

'He's in the playroom' Kathy replied. 'I spoke to your doctors' she said and held out two pictures. One was of the bruise on Dean's ribs and the other on Dean's leg. 'Can you tell me how you got these?'

'No' Dean replied. 'I'm not saying anything until I get Sammy back' He crossed his arms stubbornly.

Kathy sighed; this boy was one piece of work.

'Okay' Kathy said. 'But I can't let you see Sam until you tell me what happened. Maybe you could draw it for us?' she handed Dean some crayons and pieces of paper.

Dean glared at them and shook his head. 'Not until I see Sammy'

* * *

After much attempt with Dean but no progress, Kathy left him with the drawing equipment and went to talk to Sam.

The little boy was sitting in a room just like Dean's. The room was daunting and uncomfortable for Dean. But Sam saw it for what it was…a room with several posters on the reasonably colourful walls, with a table and two chairs that had small pictures all over them and in front of him sat several pieces of blank paper and a box of crayons.

'Hello Sam' Kathy smiled as she came into the room.

Sam looked up at her and fiddled with his hands. He sniffed a bit and tried to just stare at the crayons.

Sam remembered how the men had burst in and ran upstairs, Dean had tried to keep them away from Sam but they both knew they had no real chance, but the last thing Dean had said before the men found them was still stuck in Sam's mind:

_"Sammy! They are going to try everything to make us talk alright? Don't tell them anything, Sam! Trust me, it'll be okay!"_

But that's what Dean had said before John punished him…that things would be okay and to trust him. But Sam knew; nothing here was okay.

'Can we talk?' Kathy asked Sam as nicely as she could.

Sam shrugged and bit his lip to keep himself from tears. He wanted Dean to make these people go away so badly, for them to just leave them alone.

'Sam, remember when the doctors had a look at you?'

Sam nodded but only looked up once Kathy showed him a photo of his own arm.

'This is a big bruise…can you tell me how you got it?' Kathy noticed how Sam looked terrified and was even shaking a little. 'Sam, I know this is hard and you're scared' she said. She really was trying to help the boys, but they had to get answers or they would go back to their home. 'Did Dean tell you not to say anything?' she asked.

Sam nodded a little but he wasn't giving in just because she was nice to him.

'Okay, he's a good brother, isn't he?' Kathy asked, feeling she was getting further with Sam than she had with Dean.

Sam shrugged and Kathy caught him eying the crayons again.

'Well, if you don't feel like talking, maybe you can draw the answers for me?' she almost laughed as Sam grabbed the crayons eagerly.

'So, how did you get this bruise?' Kathy asked and waited for Sam to draw the picture but he didn't.

'I fell off my bike' Sam replied and looked at her with a smile. 'Dean was teaching me to ride it but I hit a rock and fell, the handle hit my arm. It really hurt, but Dean made it all better'

Kathy nodded and breathed in some relief. 'Sounds like Dean really looks after you' she commented. 'And who looks after Dean?' she hoped to get to the bottom of what was really going on.

Sam knew the right answer to get out of this place was to say their dad did. Because he was smart enough to know this lady thought their dad wasn't being a good dad at all. But after he had punished Dean like that…was he?

Instead though, Sam shrugged. 'We look after each other'

'That's nice' Kathy really didn't want to push her luck, yet. 'So, what are you drawing?'

'Bunch of things' Sam said. 'Like the big TV Dean took me to and the Big house where I spoke to God'

'Ah…you spoke to God?'

'Yup, to thank him for looking after us' Sam smiled. 'And for taking care of my mummy in Heaven, oh and I thanked Dean for…' Sam then shut up; he'd actually forgotten what Dean told him. He dropped the crayon and went back into his silence.

'That's nice' Kathy smiled. 'Do you spend a lot of time with Dean?' she noticed his guarded face again and hoped it wasn't as far as she'd get. After Sam didn't reply she knew time was being cut short. 'Sam' she sighed and placed the same pictures she'd shown Dean earlier. 'Dean was looked over by a doctor too, and he has two bruises. One on his chest and one on his leg…do you know how that happened?'

Sam avoided the one of the bruise on Dean's leg as it reminded him of Dean's punishment. He picked up the other one and Kathy noticed the confused look.

'They are a day apart'

Sam didn't know what that meant so he just gave her a blank stare.

'That means one happened on one day, and the other was the next day'

Sam put the picture down again and glared at his knees where his hands sat.

'Sam, I know Dean told you not to say anything, but we're really trying to help you both' She knew that wouldn't get through to Sam so she glanced at Sam's unfinished picture where he'd drawn himself holding Dean's hand, although Dean looked like a giant in the picture.

'Dean looks after you everyday doesn't he?' Kathy smiled.

Sam nodded and sniffed again.

'He would protect you from anything scary and chase all the monsters away right? He would never let anyone hurt you…but who is going to chase his monsters away?'

Sam looked up then, he'd never thought about that because of how brave and strong Dean seemed to him.

'Sam, if someone has given Dean these bruises, then you need to tell me…you need to be the one to help him now…because someone has hurt him, am I right?' Kathy studied Sam's face without blinking.

Sam glanced at the picture of the bruise on Dean's leg again and felt so terrible about talking when Dean said not to…but the lady was right, their dad had hurt Dean when he punished him.

'D-daddy punished him' Sam sniffed and Kathy snapped into instant attention.

'Why?' she asked.

'Cuz…cuz Dean didn't do what he was told' Sam said. 'He hit Dean with his belt and made my brother cry' Sam started crying himself. 'It was mean!' Sam then snapped through tears. He pointed to the leg bruise. 'The last hit was on his leg, I don't know where the other one came from, but daddy didn't do it'

'How do you know that?' Kathy wondered.

'Because, Dean was already punished, he wouldn't do it again when Dean didn't break any rules'

'Okay' Kathy moved to comfort the poor child but Sam shoved away from her, surprising her. He raced to the door and yanked it open. The five-year-old ran down the hallway screaming Dean's name over and over.

* * *

'Sammy' Dean heard the boy and got up from his own seat. He ran to the door and banged on it. 'Sammy!'

Sam skidded to a stop once he heard Dean and found the door. He unlocked it and tackled his brother to the floor.

Dean hugged Sam tighter than he'd ever hugged him before and wasn't going to let anyone take him away again.

'They made my tell!' Sam cried. 'They said I had to help you'

'Shh' Dean said as Kathy found them and just watched them once Dean gave her a very evil glare. 'Everything will be okay, I promise'

'You promise?' Sam asked and sniffed loudly, but his crying was reducing.

'Yeah, I promise' Dean nodded.

* * *

Kathy was able to find out that Dean had gotten his second bruise from tripping in his room and he had hit the closet. Dean was true to his word; he was okay with talking a bit more now that his brother was firmly by his side.

Kathy then brought them in lunch (which Sam practically attacked because it was take away and the boys didn't get that often). Afterwards a man came in and Dean got very suspicious.

'Boys, we're going to have to talk to your father and until we can find him, you will be staying with some very nice people' Kathy told them and was glad she's made a deal with Dean just before: If he co-operates, then he can keep Sam with him the whole time.

'I wanna go home' Sam complained.

'Soon Sammy' Dean told him and took his hand, following the man.

* * *

They were in the back of the man's car for only a short time, but it felt like weeks to Dean and Sam. They arrived at a rather cosy looking house and were instructed to get out. They followed the man awkwardly as he went up to the front door and knocked.

'Yes?' an elderly lady answered and looked at him as though she hadn't noticed the two boys.

'This is Dean and Sam, they will be staying with you for some time' he said and chatted away with her while Sam tried not to cry, clutching onto Dean's jacket as tight as he could.

'It's okay Sammy' Dean said, hiding his own fear from his face and tone. 'We're just staying here until daddy can come and get us okay?'

'I'm sorry; I didn't mean to say those things about daddy. I wanna go home' Sam wiped his nose with his sleeve, sniffing loudly as the scary lady looked down at them through her large glasses.

'Come in boys' she smiled and led them into the house were there were three other children. Two were about Sam's age while one was a bit older than Dean.

'I wanna go home too' Dean muttered and held Sam's hand.

* * *

Three days. Three whole days: that's how long the boys had to stay there. The place smelt of dead cats, the beds were hard and uncomfortable, they weren't allowed outside and the lady would rambled on about how boys have no manners and are nothing but filthy little rascals. Sam was so scared of her, so he tried to be the opposite of what the lady said. Whenever she complained about boys being so filthy, he would wash his hands and face. If she frowned at the manners, he would say "Thankyou" and "please" as much as possible. Or if she said how useless and selfish they were, he would offer to help her in the kitchen. By the third day, Sam was the lady's personal favourite. Dean was perfectly okay with that. It meant the lady would take extra care of Sam and spoil him, but also kept away from Dean. He couldn't stand her. So as long as Sam was okay and she left Dean alone…all was good.

'Sam? Could you fetch me that bowl please sweetie?' the lady asked and pointed to her large bowl.

'Yup' Sam nodded and went to get it, lifting it will all his might and half carried/half dragged it over.

'Dean? Could you get the milk from the fridge please?'

'Hm?' Dean looked up from the floor that he had been staring at for the last hour. 'Ah, yeah' he got up and went to get the milk, not wanting to get a sad look from Sam or the woman to scowl about boys again and make Sam work harder.

'Thankyou dear' the lady nodded. Sam always told her how Dean looked after him; so she figured the older boy must have some form of manners in him somewhere.

'Here' Dean placed the milk carton on the bench and went to go back to his chair but she spoke again.

'Well, you can help me stir' she said and pushed the mixing bowl closer. 'Grab that chair so you can reach'

* * *

They had baked about a hundred cookies by noon, when there was a loud knock at the door that made Sam and Dean jump. The lady cursed about mailmen and went to answer it to find Kathy standing there, not looking overly pleased.

'I've come to take the boys…home' she sighed.

'Daddy!' Sam jumped from his chair and rushed to Kathy, forgetting everything that had happened in the last few days. All that boy cared about right now was that he was going back home to his dad.

Dean wiped his hands and wandered over as the lady sadly got their bags.

'Your dad and I have been ah…talking' Kathy said, thankful that the court case was over. 'Now we've cleared things up and you boys can go home. Dean, why don't you put the things in the car?' she asked and Dean nodded, knowing Sam would follow.

'Sam' Kathy said. 'If anything happens, or you get scared…you call me okay?' Kathy said softly and handed him her card.

Sam stared at the card and nodded. He shoved it into his pocket and ran after Dean.

* * *

John was furious. He hated social workers that thought they knew what was best for his boys, he hated court officials that tried to label him as a criminal or child abuser and he was worried sick about Sam and Dean. The poor kids have been a lot and he was really looking forward to having them back. It had been quite a rough battle though, but he had many contacts to help him out and he played the "they lost their mother" card, which he hated doing but it was very effective.

A car pulled up and that annoying Kathy lady helped Sam and Dean from the car.

'DADDY!!' Sam squealed in joy and raced to him, jumping into his arms while Dean grabbed their bags and rushed after him.

'Sam! Dean!' John grinned and picked them both up for a hug.

Kathy watched and sighed; maybe the boys will be okay?

'Let's go' she said to her driver and they left.

'I missed you very much daddy!' Sam hugged him. 'I'm sorry I told the people how you hurt my brother' Sam frowned and John looked at Dean questionably. He put the boys down, as they were quite heavy together.

'Guess he saw or heard…' Dean shrugged and looked away.

'I'm sorry Dean' John sighed. 'But-'

'No' Dean replied and shook his head. 'I broke the rules' he said as though it was okay. 'Ow!' he yelped as Sam hit him.

'Not okay' Sam frowned. 'Daddy, you hurt my brother!' he snapped.

'I know, I'm sorry Sam' John sighed.

Sam pouted and wasn't as quickly forgiving as Dean was. He didn't think it was okay for a daddy to hurt his son, but he was hungry so…

'Okay daddy…I'm hungry' he said and bit his lip, pulling a sad expression. He was starting to learn the effects of pulling certain faces at people. If he looked sad or what they called "cute" then he had a way of always getting what he wanted…and now he knew his theory was right as John went to find some food.

'See? Told you everything would be okay' Dean smiled and followed their dad.

Sam grinned and pulled Kathy's card from his pocket. He frowned at it and couldn't make out the words, just a bunch of numbers. He tossed it onto the ground and ran after his brother.

* * *

**Author's notes: **And so the effects of his 'puppy eyes' have been discovered! hehe. Let me know what you all think guys. Cuz I get more people adding this to alerts and favourites, but a lot of those people don't review. If you read this, cau you send a review to say you do or what you like about it etc? Please review! 


	6. Clowns Aren't Fun!

**Author's notes:** Here is yet another adventure for the boys! I've decided to focus this chapter on Sam's fear of clowns, hope y'all like!

Thanks 'sammygirl1963' for your review and yeah, Sam is learning the ways of his expressions and he's a smart kid, meaning he knows how to get what he wants. And has no mercy for those that fall victim to his cuteness :) Thanks 'Otherhawk' for your review, "weird" is an interesting choice of words in describing Sam being spoilt... but you're right about Dean getting his brother anything he can! Thanks 'livinginafantasy' for your review, you read this on a school night? Hope this won't lead up to the "my dog ate my homework" lol, well at least you can be honest by saying something supernatural did :P well thanks for reading and your review! Sam is indeed cute, I think he's so cute and funny at moments in this chappy, some of my fave moments! Thanks 'banana4dean' for your reivew, you were in tears? wow. And yeah, Dean will always put his brother first (well, 99 of the time) and innocence in Sammy can make him a bit Nieve sometimes, but that makes things a bit cuter right? And gives Dean a harder time lol. But Sam's trusting nature can put him in trouble...like this chapter.

Anways, done with the rambling n all, hope y'all enjoy and let me know what you think! I mean, Sam has to get a fear of clowns somehow right?**

* * *

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**Chapter Six: Clowns aren't fun!**

It was about a week later and Dean had Sam all dressed warmly as their father decided to make up for the disaster they had last week and was taking them out to a circus for the day. Sam was so excited that Dean had a lot of trouble getting him to keep still. It was such a relief when John finally came back and told them to get in the car. Sam raced outside and ran right into the car door.

'Ow!' he complained and rubbed his head while John opened the door for him.

'You okay Sammy?' John asked as Dean locked the front door of their new house and came running over.

'I'm good' Sam sniffed and jumped into the car.

* * *

They pulled up outside the circus grounds and Sam gasped at the sight of things, which was big and brightly coloured.

'Are there elephants here?' Sam asked in wonder.

'No' John replied and they got out of the car.

'Hippos?' Sam asked.

'No' John replied again and headed towards the ticket booth.

'What about Unicorns?' Sam asked and Dean stared at him.

'Sam, only girls like Unicorns' Dean stated.

'But, then why do I like them?' Sam wondered, not getting what Dean meant.

'Good question' Dean sighed.

'Come on' John interrupted and took the boys hands as he led them to a seat inside the largest tent.

They sat around the middle area and were just in time for the show. Sam and Dean watched the acts in awe while John kept a close eye on the crowd and anyone that weren't trying to draw attention to themselves.

Then came a moment that Sam Winchester was going to remember forever…

'_And now ladies and gentlemen! Let's bring out the clowns!' _The announcer said and three clowns made their way into view, right near Sam.

'Who are they?' Sam asked.

'Clowns' Dean replied. 'They're silly' Dean sniggered as one tripped one his own feet, knocking the other two over.

Sam laughed at them for a bit until he spotted another one all by itself, just watching. He was wearing much darker clothing and his face was painted as being sad, not happy, plus he wasn't in the performance ring but rather on the outside, by the exit.

'Why is that one by itself?' Sam asked and pointed.

'Where? There are only three' Dean said and laughed some more at the others. John however, glanced at Sam's confused face as he looked into space.

'Do you see something Sammy?' John asked.

'Another clown' Sam pointed. 'He looks sad daddy, why is he so dark and sad?'

'I don't know' John said to comfort Sam, but grew tense, as it clearly wasn't one of the actors that were messing around like idiots on a donkey that Sam was seeing.

* * *

As the show was over, John and Dean got up and were ready to go when they realised Sam had vanished.

'Sam!' John called loudly and Dean started to panic.

'Sammy!' Dean yelled out as well and a few people realised they were missing a child and looked around as well, trying to be a bit of a help to the screaming, panicking family.

'Is that him?' a woman asked John and pointed over near the exit where Sam was standing there, looking up at a clown, whom John knew was the shady one Sam had mentioned earlier. Although he was unsure why he hadn't seen him until now.

'Thankyou' John said to the woman and turned to Dean, handing him the car keys. 'Go to the car and lock yourself in' he ordered.

Dean knew better than to disobey an order now and he also knew his dad was going to save Sammy. He grabbed the keys and dashed through the crowd, taking advantage of his smaller size.

'Sam!' John said as Sam reached out to the sad, unmoving clown.

'Why are you so sad?' Sam asked.

The clown then moved and looked down at the small boy while John tried to get past all the people to reach him.

The clown eyed Sam and the boy took a step back at it changed. The clothes turned darker and seemed more torn, it's eyes faded to a black and the "make-up" darkened. The sad expression moved to form an evil grin. He grabbed Sam tightly by the shoulders and lifted him up while the poor kid squealed his lungs out.

John shoved people out of the way violently and rushed to Sam's rescue. He grabbed his son and Sam hid against his father's shirt as John tried to stop the clown but it faded like smoke, vanished right in front of them with it's saddened look again.

'Sammy? You okay?' John tried to get Sam to look at him but the boy would not remove his face from it's hiding place of John's jacket.

* * *

Dean breathed again as he saw John carrying his brother towards him. He unlocked the doors so they could get in and John had to pry Sam off him.

John pushed Sam into the seat beside his brother and he naturally clung to Dean for dear life.

'What happened?' Dean asked but John was too focused on getting them out of there to answer. 'Sammy?' he asked the sobbing boy but Sam just dug his face further against Dean.

* * *

Later that night, Dean and John awoke with a start as Sam started screaming. They rushed to his room and found his blankets everywhere and his pillow several meters away. Sam was sleeping though, but clearly having a nightmare…

_Sam was playing with Dean, until the room went dark and Dean got up to leave._

'_Dean? Come back!' Sam called out to him and as Dean turned around, he was no longer Dean…but an evil clown with sharp teeth and red eyes. He stretched out his claws and lunged at Sam._

'Arghhh!' Sam cried and screamed as Dean rushed to his side and shook him.

'Sammy! Sammy!'

'Dean?' Sam gasped as he woke and more tears slid down his face. 'Don't let the monsters get me!'

'It's okay' Dean held him while he cried and rubbed his head. 'Dad's here, I'm here…no one is going to get you okay?'

John came over and sat on the bed as well. 'You're safe now Sam' he told his youngest boy. 'It can't hurt you anymore'

Sam's sobs weakened and his just hugged Dean.

'You won't ever leave me, will you Dean?' Sam sniffed and wiped his nose.

'Not unless you want me to' Dean replied and John picked the boys up, placing them on his lap.

'I never want you to' Sam told Dean. 'Never'

'Then I'm always going to be here Sammy' Dean hugged him. 'I promise'

'You promise?' Sam seemed to calm down a bit now while Dean and John comforted him.

'I promise' Dean nodded. 'And daddy will be here too'

'No matter what?' Sam asked John.

'No matter what Sammy, and no monsters are very going to get you while we're here' John gave him a warm smile.

'Okay' Sam yawned and started drifting back to sleep.

John tucked Sam in and the carried Dean back to bed as well. He then went to his room and studied his research on evil clowns again. No way on the face of this Earth was he going to let that clown get away with scaring his youngest son like that!

* * *

The following morning, Dean and Sam were going through a newspaper as they were bored and Sam found a picture of a clown. He threw it on the ground and jumped on the picture, over and over.

'Sam? What are you doing?' Dean asked.

'Killing evil!' Sam squealed in annoyance and jumped harder.

'If ya say so' Dean sighed and went back to his comic while Sam then grabbed the picture and tore it to absolute shreds. He was feeling a lot better now.

'Hey boys' John came in, his bags in hand all packed, along with Sam and Dean's.

'We moving again?' Dean asked.

'Yeah, I'm taking you to stay with another friend of mine' John replied and noticed the way Sam was tearing up the remains of the clown picture, he was now biting it to shreds and spitting the pieces out.

'What are you doing?' John asked as Dean rolled his eyes.

'Killing evil!' Sam snapped and tossed the last piece of newspaper away before sitting there, pouting…crossed arms and all.

John smirked. 'Well, looks like you won' he replied in amusement and then cleared his throat. 'Come on boys, let's go'

* * *

They got into the car and Sam was still in a very foul mood.

'So who do we get to meet this time?' Dean wondered.

'Pasta Jim?' Sam suddenly jumped in joy.

'No' John said and started the engine. 'Bobby'

'Bobby?' Dean echoed as Sam pouted again in the back seat.

'Yeah' John nodded and took a left turn onto the highway. 'Bobby Singer'

'I hate clowns' Sam glared angrily.

* * *

**Author's notes: hahaha! I loved that, but I'm just a writer...what do you think? I have said this before and I hate to say it again...but a lot of people add this story or me to their favourites/alerts...which don't get me wrong: I am honored! But many of those people that do that do not review! So please, if this story is worth adding to faves/alerts can you send me a review please...because reviews are more than just letting me know what you think, they're my motivation and it's what results in faster updates and also improves the story! So please...review!**


	7. Uncle Bobby

**Author's notes: **Thanks 'sammygirl1963' for your review, and yeah the clown thing had to be relaistic to making Sam scared for life of them! John believed him because he was a hunter on the lookout for expected trouble, he'd be stupid not to listen. Thanks 'wofOZ' for your reivew, Sammy is indeed cute, but i personally think Dean has his moments too cuz he is nine after all! Thanks 'livinginafantasy' for your reivew, and I totally agree. It was sligtly rushed and shorter than the other because I was so focused on this chapter and the one after it that I dunno, meh. Sam "killing evil" was my fave part! lol. Thanks 'geek27' for your review, muchly apreciated. "Pasta" Jim is one of my favourite characters in this fic (along with Bobby, tee-hee...and Caleb has his moments), and not to fear! Just because you've seen the boys met them doens't mean they won't see them again! Thanks 'alwaysateen' for your review, Dean does put Sammy first on almost every occasion...but I have an upcoming chapter in which Dean starts to realise a few things, but ain't spoiling...you'll have to wait! And thanks 'snowWind' for your review as well, Dean will always be protective of his lil brother, no matter how much the small boy drives him insane at times!

This chapter is honestly one of my personal favourite in this fic, so I hope y'all love it too! Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Seven: Uncle Bobby**

John shut the Impala's door and made his way over to a man that was working on a truck nearby.

'John Winchester!' Bobby greeted him. 'And these ye boys?'

'Dean, Sam…this is Bobby' John introduced as he shook Bobby's hand in greeting.

'Hey' Dean smiled but stepped away from the black dog that was growling at them fiercely.

'Ah yeah, stay away from him' Bobby grunted and looked at Sam, whom was eyeing the dog curiously.

'Hi' Sam said to Bobby and looked around in interest.

'Well, at least they have manners' Bobby smirked at John, which he felt was something John was lacking at.

'Yeah…well' John shrugged; the manners weren't from his side of the genes. 'Anyway, thanks a lot Bobby'

'Eh, no problem' Bobby shrugged. 'They know?' he asked quietly then.

'Dean does' John nodded and patted Sam's head. 'Well you boys behave yourselves; don't give Bobby any trouble okay? I'll be back tomorrow' he announced and headed back to the Impala. The black dog snapped viciously at him as he went past.

'Come on boys' Bobby said and guided them towards the house.

'Where's the TV?' Dean asked once they got a look at the place.

'It's ah…broken' Bobby told him. 'You like books?'

'Comic books?' Dean wondered as Sam picked up a nearby book and cringed his nose at how dusty it was, but then started drawing pictures in the dust.

'I might have some lying about' Bobby replied and grabbed a small box. 'Knock yourselves out' he said and Dean dove through the box curiously.

Sam peaked inside as well but Dean was having most of the fun discovering it's contents. Sam dropped the dusty book and went to sit on a chair beside a table of more books. He was trying to find one with pictures to look at, but all he found were boring ones about funny-looking things in them and lots of stupid-looking words that he couldn't read. After several more boring minutes, Sam joined Dean by the box again and flipped through a few of the comic books that Dean wasn't using or had already read through.

* * *

Bobby gave them pizza for dinner since he wasn't exactly a good cook and afterwards he put them off to bed, hoping that's where they will stay.

'Dean' Sam said as his brother lay beside him. 'Read me a story'

'I don't have a book' Dean said, mainly to avoid getting up, as he had been almost asleep until Sam spoke.

'Bobby has lots' Sam told him.

'Um, how about if I make one up?' Dean rose up onto his elbows to look down at his sleepy little brother.

'Okay' Sam smiled.

Bobby rubbed his face and sat in a chair near the door where the boys were supposed to be sleeping and overheard their talking.

'Um, well…there was a…' Dean thought deeply.

'Rabbit?' Sam asked with a grin.

'Yeah, a rabbit' Dean nodded enthusiastically. 'The rabbit lived in a nice house under the ground with his rabbit family' Dean improvised and Sam jumped in to help.

'He has a mummy and a daddy' Sam said.

'Yeah, and an annoying little brother' Dean smirked. 'Anyway, one night when they were asleep, something took his rabbit mummy away' Dean sighed and knew he had to make it happy somehow. 'But it was okay because he still had his rabbit brother and his rabbit daddy, but sometimes he was very sad'

'Because he misses his mummy?' Sam asked and frowned. He picked up on what Dean was saying and listened closer.

'Yeah, his mummy was so pretty and she loved them all so much'

'But when he was sad, his rabbit brother would make him happy?' Sam suggested.

Dean looked at Sam and smiled. 'Yeah, yeah his little rabbit brother made him happy…and rabbits need a lot of sleep to have fun, so just like them…we need to sleep okay?'

'Okay' Sam smiled and closed his eyes while Dean lay back down and shut his eyes as well.

'Dean?' Sam asked, but kept his eyes closed.

'Yeah Sammy?' came Dean's mumbled reply.

'Do they live happily ever after, even without their rabbit mummy?' he wondered.

'Of course' Dean sighed, but was a bit unconvinced. 'Everyone lives happily ever after'

'Good, because the rabbit shouldn't be sad forever' Sam nodded.

'Goodnight Sam' Dean yawned and rolled over.

'Goodnight Dean' Sam muttered as he drifted asleep.

Bobby sighed and he could only imagine what Dean was and still is going though after losing his mother, but it was clearly taking some toll on the young boy.

'Damnit' Bobby cursed quietly as it should have been John that is here for Sam, not just Dean. He was losing touch as a father already, but at least the boys had each other…because God help John if they didn't.

* * *

Sam rolled over and right off the bed, landing on the floor with a "thump!" He got up in shock and saw it was early morning, judging by the small amount of rising sunlight that had been lucky to break through the dust-covered window. Dean was snoring softly on the bed and Sam could hear louder snores coming from the other room with all the books, so Bobby was asleep in his chair. Being the curious child he was, Sam decided not to wake anyone this time and have a look around. He snuck out of the bedroom and past Bobby cautiously. There was a key on a pile of books so Sam grabbed it and used it to unlock the front door, stepping over a line of salt as he did so.

Outside was nice but a little chilly. It scared him a bit since it was still a fairly dark and the sun was just starting to peak into view.

An angrily growl reached his ears. Sam jumped out of the way until he saw it was Bobby's black dog, which was now bearing his fangs at Sam.

'Are you okay?' Sam asked as the dog sniffed loudly at him, but was chained so couldn't move. 'Why are you tied up?' he wondered, but got no response from the dog other than more growls. 'You're so grouchy!' Sam snapped at him loudly. 'You need a big brother to help you feel better, or a friend…ohhh, I know!' Sam said as though he had the most brilliant idea in the world. 'I'll be your friend!' Sam grinned and walked closer to the growling dog. 'But you can't have fun if you're chained up' he tipped his head sideways and looked at the end of the chain. His gaze followed it for a moment and he studied it.

'Grrrruff!' the dog snapped it's jaws at Sam as the boy took a few more steps closer.

'Don't get angry at me!' Sam snapped back and put his hands on his hips, stomping his foot against the ground as well; that make the dog look at him weirdly, but he then growled again but a lot louder.

* * *

Dean rolled around and noticed the absence of his brother. He jolted awake and rushed from the room, shaking Bobby violently from his slumber.

'Bobby!' Dean panicked. 'Bobby!!'

'Who? What?' Bobby snapped awake in panic and reached for his gun, until he saw the small boy that was shaking the life out of him.

'Sam's gone! Sam's gone!' Dean panicked and that got Bobby off his seat. He heard the chain of his dog hitting against metal and rushed outside.

'Sam!' Dean yelled at the sight of his brother, but didn't move.

Bobby stared in pure shock. Sam had freed his dog from it's chain and, his dog was on it's back…being tickled?!

Bobby looked at his dog in betrayal. His big, guarding mutt was on it's back and was being tickled by a five-year-old boy as though it was a little puppy, his tongue hanging out and all…what has the world come to?

'Ermmmm' the dog yelped as he saw the glare Bobby gave him as he shook his head, ashamed.

'Dean look! I have a new friend!' Sam grinned and Dean moved towards the dog but it growled at him, making him jump back.

'Ah…that's um, great Sam' Dean pulled up a false but nervous grin. 'Just…be careful, Sammy'

Sam giggled as the dog licked him on his cheek.

'Stop it!' he laughed and tickled the dog's tummy some more, still giggling madly.

'Tamed by a mere child' Bobby grunted. 'Damned mutt' he frowned and rolled his eyes.

* * *

Sam played with the dog all day while Bobby showed Dean some of his guns and several books he'd recently acquired.

'I like that one' Dean pointed to one of the larger shotguns and Bobby smirked.

'I bet you do, son' Bobby nodded and realised that he still had that habit of calling boys "son" but Dean hadn't seemed to notice as he admired the shotgun.

'Hey Bobby?' Sam asked as he came over, riding Bobby's dog. 'Are you and my dad really good friends?'

'Yeah' Bobby grunted a replied. 'Sometimes we're almost like brothers' he shrugged, finding humour in that since a lot of brothers fought like hell, which fit the description of him and John perfectly.

'Oh' Sam nodded. 'So does that mean I can call you Uncle Bobby?' Sam smiled and Dean looked up as well, awaiting Bobby's reply to that also.

Bobby looked at the boys and wondering if John knew how great these kids were, and what he was really missing out on. 'Yeah' he said. 'Sure kid'

'Yay!' Sam grinned. 'Come on!' he ordered the mutt and it took off at a trot to the truck a bit away.

Bobby glared at the dog as it trotted off, careful not to drop Sam.

'Damned dog' he grumbled again and realised Dean was tugging at his sleeve.

'Hey Bobby?' Dean asked. 'What's this for?' he held up a container of rock salt.

'Eh, sometimes we might come across a nasty spirit or something, so the rock salt is loaded into a shotgun like this one' Bobby held up one of his many shotguns, noticing the Impala pulling up at the gates and driving in slowly.

'So the rock salt kills the spirits?' Dean wondered, bringing Bobby's attention back to the table of weapons.

'Uh, no' Bobby said and John came over, listening in. 'Salt is pure…like Holy water, so by using rock salt to shoot the spirits with it keeps them away for a bit'

'Oh, okay' Dean nodded; only half getting what the heck he was just told.

'Isn't that your…' John frowned, pointing at the mutt that Sam was currently playing with.

Bobby glared some more at the dog. 'I think he's possessed' Bobby replied and John raised an eyebrow at him. 'That boy, Sam… he's possessed that bloody mutt. Bin playing with him all day, as if he was a pup, which is exactly how he's bin acting up as'

'Really?' John tried not to laugh, seeing the look on Bobby's face as his "trusty" guard dog was licking Sam's face again, making the boy fall into a fit of giggles.

'Hey? I got a call from Caleb' John's tone turned more serious.

'Yeah?' Bobby asked and handed Dean a shotgun to load the rock salt into as he was fiddling with it.

'Yeah' John sighed. 'He said he might have a lead on…' John glanced at Dean and then Sam, raising an eyebrow and Bobby knew he was referring to what happened to Mary.

'It must be good' Bobby said. 'After all these years?'

John nodded and sighed. 'But I have a job along the way though, the boys will have to get there by plane or something' he shrugged. 'I'll figure something out'

Both men then watched as Dean cocked the shotgun and aimed it playfully at the tree.

'Go on' Bobby smirked. 'Give it a shot'

Dean was careful to not let the force of the gun make him fall backwards like guns made him do sometimes. Sam glanced at his brother in interest as he aimed the shotgun in the air and fired twice.

BANG! BANG!

A small bird fell from the tress, stunned and landed on the ground a few metres away.

'Oops' Dean put the shotgun back on the table in panic.

'Nah, rock salt can hurt like bloody hell' John told him. 'But it won't kill anyone from that distance'

'Unless it's a bird' Bobby added and went to see if the bird was actually stunned or…

'Come on boys' John finally said. 'Time to get going'

'Coming daddy!' Sam called out and hugged his new friend tightly. 'I'll send a postcard okay?' he smiled and kissed the dog's head before racing after his father and brother.

'Errmmmm' the dog pined for Sam as the Impala drove away, with Sam waving madly back to him out a window.

'You' Bobby pointed to the mutt furiously. 'Are going to have to feed yourself now, cuz I ain't own you to do pooch tricks' he glared and went back inside after chaining him up again.

* * *

'Are we going to a new home again, daddy?' Sam wondered as Dean tried to stay awake. The excitement was over so he had registered that it was early morning.

'Not yet Sam' John said and stopped at a gas station to fill up and get the boys some snacks. 'We're going to stay with Caleb for a few days, but um…I don't want to leave the car here and, well it would be better if you boys…' he wasn't sure how to explain to the boys why they couldn't go together. 'Just, you and Dean are going to go there by plane okay?'

Dean's eyes shot right open at that and every nerve in his body froze solid.

'Is Caleb another friend?' Sam asked and seemed nervous but also very excited about going by plane, even though he really didn't know what that meant.

'Sure is' John nodded. 'Now wait here' he instructed and went to pay for the gas.

'Here that Dean?' Sam grinned and moved closer but couldn't see his brother's pale face. 'We're going to ride a plane!'

Dean sat there, paralysed and seemed to have trouble getting oxygen to his lungs.

'I…it…yeah, um…great' Dean gasped.

'I can't wait! This is gonna be fun, right Dean?' Sam asked, noticing the change in Dean's voice.

'Yeah…Great' Dean gulped.

* * *

**Author's notes: **Hope y'all loved this as much as I did! Please review and let me know what you think! I'm gonna speed up the updating a little bit because I am currently up to chapter 12! The boys have school and everything, so it's gone a long way from here, lol! Anyways, reviews will determind how soon i update because you guys are my motivation! Please review!

_Next chapter:_ Dean's "undying love" for flying in planes!


	8. It Won't Crash, Right?

**Author's notes: **Thanks 'Living in a fantasy' for your review. Sam did indeed tame the evil dog and as seen, Bobby was "thrilled haha. Thanks 'alwaysateen' for your review! "Uncle" Bobby is my fave additions to chapters and I will bring him back cuz he's so much fun! This chapter explores Dean's fear of flying, but it won't be revlealed to a bit later as to where exactly it had come from. There are a few clues in here but not very obvious! Thanks 'otherhawk' for your review. Bobby is awesome! Expect more of him later on. Thanks 'Sammygirl' for your review. I too laughed a lot about Bobby's recations to Sam taming his used-to-be-reliable guard dog hehe.

As mentioned above, this does give clues to how Dean came to be terrified of flying, but not quite as explained yet. I mean: this is where he become very scared, but it's not where it began. This chapter does contribute a lot to the story though and it was so fun to write. There are a few other things in here, that explain how Dean came to love other things and all but I can't give too much away. I found this chapter hilarious! Anways, hope y'all enjoy it!!

Few spoilers for 'Phantom Traveller' and 'Everybody loves a clown'**

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**Chapter Eight: It won't crash…right?**

John led the boys into the Airport and bought their tickets. He sat them on some seats near a massive window that looked out onto the runway. Sam and Dean were both licking at their chocolate ice creams and John glanced at his watch to see there was about an hour before their flight took off.

'Excuse me' he said to one of the flight attendants working at the desk.

'Yes sir?' she smiled brightly at him.

'My sons, they're on flight 301 which leaves in about an hour…I have to get going in order to meet them there in time, so could you keep a strong eye on them and make sure they get on the plane?'

'Of course sir' she smiled since she loved kids and John was holding out some money to pay for her help.

'Thankyou' John breathed in relief. 'Dean, Sam, this nice lady here will look after you until you get on the plane-'

'Oh I'm on that flight too' she corrected him.

'Okay…boys, she'll keep an eye on you until you land alright?'

'Are you leaving us daddy?' Dean asked fearfully, which surprised John. Sam even glanced up from his ice cream to study his brother's face curiously.

'Just until you land, don't worry…you'll be okay. And-'

'Keep an eye on Sammy, I know' Dean sighed but had lost his apatite for ice cream now.

John gave each boy a quick kiss on the head each before leaving.

'If you need me, just ask' the lady said. 'I'm Karen' she smiled.

'Dean' the nine-year-old gasped out and dumped his ice cream in the bin beside him.

'S-am' the younger boy said his name with his mouthful of chocolate ice cream.

'Okay' Karen said brightly and went back to her desk.

Sam finished his ice cream and held out a tissue to Dean.

'What?' Dean asked, lost in his delusional thoughts of crashing planes.

'Mouth' Sam pointed to his chocolate-covered mouth.

'Right' Dean frowned and wiped Sam's mouth clean.

Sam smiled calmly and turned around in his seat and yelped loudly.

'What?' Dean jumped and looked around in alarm. His jaw dropped as well.

The boys had been leaning against a "wall" while sitting on comfortable seats. But now they realised it was no wall…but a giant window. The window was so clear it was almost as though it wasn't there, and that was scary because if they looked down…well it was a very long way down.

'Are we going to fall?' Sam panicked and grabbed his stiff brother.

'Oh course not' Karen called over once she noticed their panic. 'It's very strong.

Sam calmed down, but Dean had no trust for the window at all.

'Wow, look!' Sam pointed to the giant aeroplanes, noticing them for the first time. 'What are they?'

'Planes' Dean gasped out.

Sam's eyes grew huge and his mouth hung open. He looked as though he was about to pass out backwards onto the floor, which wasn't far from how Dean was feeling. Dean glanced sideways at his brother and saw how scared Sam looked.

'Um, it's okay Sammy' he said and patted his brother's back. 'They are big so that they can fit lots of people inside. Like buses and trains…' he struggled to comfort his brother while he was in the middle of his own mental breakdown.

'Really?' Sam asked. 'But they fly Dean! How?' Sam glanced over at Dean, demanding answers.

'See those big things sticking out of the sides? They're wings, like a bird has. They work very differently, they don't flap up and down…but they're still wings'

Sam looked at him confused, but since Dean seemed to know what he was talking about he nodded and accepted it. Sam pressed his face against the window to get a "better" look at the planes, now deeply fascinated by them. Dean watched his brother as avoidance to looking out the window.

'What if we fall?' Sam then asked. 'If we're high in the air with lots of people, what happens if we fall?'

If Dean's face was pale, it was nothing compared to the colour it turned as Sam brought that question up. It was one of the few wild, scary theories that had not yet passed through Dean's mind…well, until now.

'Because the planes are made very strong to make sure that never happens' Karen smiled as she came over. 'Don't worry, it's perfectly safe' she assured them and Dean started breathing again. 'We still have a bit of time before your flight, so how about we meet some of the people?' she asked and took Sam's hand, but Dean grabbed her other hand. He seemed embarrassed about it but Dean felt the need of some comfort since every good thing that came to his mind he used to calm Sam.

* * *

The boys followed Karen pass a bunch of impatient passengers and they wandered by those that had just got off a flight. While Sam was listening to Karen talking about the people that make sure the plane is perfectly safe, Dean noticed some of the passengers looked rather ill.

'Oh God, I am never going on a plane again!' one guy gasped and puked in a pot plant. 'I thought I was going to die!'

'Come one, what are the chances of dying in a plane crash?' his friend asked humorously. 'Like, twenty thousand to one?' he asked, honestly unsure.

'Yeah? And about a million people come in a day' the ill man replied.

'Dean?' Karen caught his attention. She saw how wide his eyes were and how tense he seemed. 'It'll be okay' she said and ran a hand over his hair. 'Come on'

* * *

After a tour around the place, Karen decided it was time for her to head up to their plane, and since she was watching over these cute kids she may as well get them seated a bit early. It would also ensure they prevented any possibility of them getting lost in the rush.

'Time to get on the plane' she announced and Dean stopped dead in his tracks.

'Yay!' Sam jumped in joy and skipped down to the plane while Dean followed awkwardly behind.

Karen held Sam's hands to help him up the big steps and into the plane. She glanced back to see Dean still standing at the very bottom, not moving an inch.

'Go find a seat near the back okay?' Karen smiled and Sam rushed off. 'Dean' she sighed. 'It's not as scary as you think, okay? Is this your first time?' she asked.

Dean wasn't too keen on answering that question, so he just shrugged.

Karen picked him up and carried him up the steps. She just felt this overwhelming love for each of the boys, as though they needed a mother figure right now and she was the only one that could give them just that.

'Here! Here!' Sam jumped on the seat in excitement as his brother was put down and he rushed over to Sam as they sat on the right side.

'I got the window!' Sam yelled, even though he was already sitting on the window seat.

'You can have it' Dean told him.

'Now, keep in mind there will be people sitting in front of you' Karen told them. Sam was hanging to every word while Dean just tried to keep from fainting. 'So try not to kick the back of their seats or anything. Stay in your seat unless you need to go to the toilet which is right over there' she pointed to their right. 'Any important information will be showed on the screen down there' she said and Dean made sure he knew where that was. 'But I'll make sure you're all set and that things go as smoothly as possible' she smiled and Sam looked happy, but Dean's face was still slightly pale.

'Once the plane takes off, I'll bring you something to snack on and a drink okay?' Karen smiled and went to the front where people were bound to start boarding soon.

'This is so cool, Dean' Sam grinned and saw Dean didn't seem to agree and he got scared, realising something must be terribly wrong.

'Dean? Is something bad going to happen?' Sam asked in a trembling voice.

Dean cursed to himself for a moment and then forced up a grin.

'Nah, of course not Sammy' he said. 'I can't wait!'

Sam calmed down and looked out his window gleefully.

'Can't wait to land' Dean muttered.

'What?' Sam turned back as he thought Dean had said something.

'Nothing, just ah…wondering what snacks we'll get' he smiled through clenched teeth as people were starting to fill the seats around them –meaning they were going to take off soon.

Dean's hands shook as he tried to follow the instructions on the screen near the front about the seatbelt. Sam was knotting his together also, but Dean had no hope with either. Karen came over and fixed them, doing the seatbelts up properly and tightly.

Everything began to shake then and Dean wished his feet were like Sam's –unable to reach the floor- but they weren't.

'What's happening?' Sam panicked.

'It's okay kid' an elderly man in front of them said. 'The plane is just taking off'

Sam jumped and looked out the window in excitement, meanwhile his brother was losing the ability to breathe again.

The Plane sped along the runway and flew into the sky. Sam was squirming in overexcitement and he just loved everything about this.

'Dean? What's that fluffy stuff?' Sam asked, pointing at the window.

Dean peaked cautiously out the window. 'Clouds' he gasped in realisation.

'Wow! Cool! Dean, we're in the clouds' Sam's face then look horrified. 'Wait! Heaven's in the clouds…and God' the small boy looked at Dean in renewed panic. 'Are we dead?'

Dean wasn't sure, but he was starting to really wish he were. The two people in front of them were laughing amongst themselves though.

'Dean?' the small boy was awaiting his response. 'Are we dead?' he grabbed Dean's arm and shook him.

'No Sammy' Dean replied as bravely as he could. He was relieved as Karen came over and handed both of them a small bottle of juice and a box of animal shaped cookies.

'Thankyou' Sam smiled, remembering that Dean told him if someone gave him something nice he had to say "thankyou".

'You're welcome' Karen smiled and went to tend to another passenger.

'Elephant!' Sam grinned as he tore the box open and pulled out a cookie, his feet swinging happily.

Dean sipped at his drink but still wasn't feeling very hungry at all.

'Penguin!' Sam cheered at his next cookie, tossing it into his mouth. 'Ooh look! A…thing' Sam frowned at his cookie. 'Dean! What's this?' he asked, shoving it in his brother's face.

'Um' Dean looked at it, or what part wasn't blurry from being too close to his eyes. 'Lion' he answered and Sam moved it back.

'Doesn't look like a lion' Sam frowned but munched it up anyway. 'Aren't you gonna eat your cookies?' Sam wondered; noticing Dean hadn't touched his box.

'Not hungry' Dean replied and tossed the box to Sam. 'You can have them'

Sam's face lit up some more and he tore that box open too, even if his own box was unfinished.

* * *

The first twenty minutes left like hours to Dean as he kept his fingers dug into the seat and his body completely still. Sam had eaten all of his cookies, announcing the shape of each one. He'd also drunk all of his juice, including Dean's…and was now squirming uncomfortably.

'Dean?' he tugged on his brother's sleeve after another two minutes. 'I gotta go to the bathroom!' Sam winced.

Dean clenched his teeth again because that fully meant getting up from their seats, on a moving plane…in midair.

'Ah' Dean looked around for Karen but could not see her anywhere. He considered screaming for her, but then Sam might get upset. He had to be brave so Sammy could be brave.

Sam was squirming and Dean saw no other option. He grabbed his brother's hand and they got up from their seats. Dean started out by taking each step cautiously but Sam really had to go. Dean grabbed the side of his seat and looked at the floor, sighing. He inhaled sharply and pushed his brother towards the bathroom, yanked open the door and shoved him inside. He also knew Sam wouldn't do anything unless Dean was with him for some reason so Dean went in as well and waited for Sam to do his business.

Dean helped him wash his hands, dry them and then inhaled quickly again before shoving him back to their seats as fast as he could. Sam started climbing onto his seat as the plane gave a jerk and Dean went tumbling to the floor. He threw his hands out to protect himself but still landed flat on his stomach.

'Dean! Dean!' Sam cried out and jumped from his seat, rushing to his brother's side and tugged at his sleeve to try and help him up.

'You okay kid?' the man in front of their seat asked, looking down at the boys.

'You could have helped him!' Karen's voice reached them as she glared at the man. She helped Dean up and got the boys back to their seats. 'Are you okay?' she asked Dean in concern.

Dean could feel Sam's stare, so he nodded and gave them a thumbs up.

'Why did the plane knock my brother over?' Sam wondered, now mad at the plane for being mean to his big brother.

'That happens sometimes' Karen said. 'It's perfectly normal' she smiled brightly and then left.

'_Attention everyone' _A voice came through the speakers and Sam was in shock.

'Who? Where?' Sam looked around wildly but Dean held up a hand to shut him up.

'_We are experiencing a slight turbulence as there is a lightning storm down east. Nothing to worry about, it's perfectly normal…please enjoy the rest of the flight and we apologise for any slight delay that may occur'_

'Lightning storm?' Sam grabbed Dean's arm again. 'Dean!' he shook him. 'I wanna get off!' he pleaded.

The plane then gave a violent shake that just about made Dean pass out right then and there, but he had his brother to worry about.

'What was that?' Sam asked.

'Just a little turbulence' Dean replied as strongly as he could.

'What's tur…turbla…?' Sam frowned, trying to say the word. He concentrated hard on that one word so Dean left him with that, knowing it could be hours before Sam figured it out.

Dean looked up as the lights flickered off and two seconds later they came back on. He remembered that was one of the signs his dad had told him when something supernatural was close by…was a monster going to grab him and throw him from the plane?

'You alright?' the man in front of Dean asked again as he turned around to look at him. 'You look like you've seen a ghost kid'

Sam looked at the man and then saw that Dean did look…odd.

'Ghosts aren't real!' Sam screamed at the man. 'Leave my brother alone!'

'Sammy-' Dean tried to butt in but Karen appeared out of nowhere.

'What's going on here?' she asked.

'Kid's having a fit' the man replied grouchily.

Karen looked down at the boys and saw Dean was still rigid and Sam had his arms crossed, looking very mad at the man in front of Dean.

'Bully' Sam frowned and poked his tongue out.

'We still have a little while before we land' Karen told them and didn't believe these boys were really deliberately causing trouble. 'How about you have a rest?' she offered.

'Karen, Maydee Norris is requesting you' one of the other flight attendants called her and she had to leave the boys again.

Dean looked at Sam and saw he did seemed tired. 'Sammy' he lifted up the divider that was between them, like at the movie cinemas. He pulled his little brother close to him and told him a story of whatever came to his mind. He listened as his brother's breathing became heavier and he knew Sam was asleep. Dean took his jacket off and placed it over Sam, feeling a bit more relaxed now.

'Hey'

Dean looked up to see a boy about sixteen looking down at him.

'That your little bro?' he asked and Dean nodded, trying to work out why this guy was talking to him.

The teenager nodded. 'I got a little brother too' he smiled and pointed nearby to where a boy about eleven was sitting. 'Um, I have been watching you and you seem pretty ah…tense, about flying?'

Dean looked at him weirdly but nodded again.

The guy smiled and handed Dean a small device with earphones attached.

'You like Metallica? ' He asked and Dean shrugged. 'Well it's awesome, so are AC DC…anyways' he placed an earpiece into each of Dean's ears and turned the device on.

Dean's eyes went wide as he heard the music flow into his ears.

'Thanks' Dean smiled and the older boy nodded.

'It's cool man' he nodded. 'As long as you have rock n roll…everything's okay' he said and went back to where he'd been sitting.

* * *

For the rest of the hour, Dean listened to the music and was now perfectly calm. The older boy was right, once there is Metallica…everything is okay.

Sam yawned and rubbed his eyes as he awoke and peaked out the window.

'Dean, look!' the boy grabbed him and Dean jumped since he'd been listening to the music and hadn't noticed his brother waking up. He looked out the window and was so relieved to see the land instead of clouds. The paddocks, the trees, and the roads…nothing had ever looked so welcoming in Dean's entire life.

There was more voices over the announcer, preparing everyone for land and Karen made sure they were all seat belted and told them everything was okay.

The thump of the plane making contact with solid ground was the greatest feeling in the world to Dean. Once they got the "all clear" Dean grabbed his jacket and put it on, he reached for Sam's hand. Dean yanked his brother off his seat and pushed past all the people. He saw the older boy and offered to give the miracle device back but he said Dean could have it. Dean grinned and then pulled his brother past and even under everyone. They reached the door and by this point, Dean was running.

'Daddy!" Dean screamed at the sight of his father.

'Daddy!' Sam mimicked, rushing to keep up.

Dean let Sam go as they reached their father and Dean squeezed John around the middle as he hugged him so tight.

'Hey boys' John smiled.

'I like planes' Sam announced proudly.

Dean didn't say a word but John was unable to detach his eldest son's hand from his own. They went back to the car and that was when Dean let him go. Dean ran to the Impala and hugged it.

'I love you' he said loudly as his family watched with weird and confused expressions on their faces. 'I never want to leave you again! Your wheels…your radio…you're perfect!' Dean said and John had difficulty getting the boy in the car.

'No fun' Sam crossed his arms and pouted as they sat in the backseat of the Impala. 'No more clouds' he told Dean. 'No more clouds out my window…just trees'

'I know' Dean replied. 'Isn't it great?!' Dean had a huge grin on his face and was never, ever going to complain about all the driving around everywhere again. Ever!

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**Author's notes: **There ya go! Please tell me whatcha thought of it all! And maybe some theories on how you think Dean came to start his fear of flying:) Anyways...please review! 


	9. Caleb Knows

**Author's notes: **Thanks 'sammygirl1963' for your review! Yeah Dean had a rough time, the music probably saved his life! Thanks 'banana4dean' for your review! You're right, Dean does have a heart of gold. He looks after his brother, even if he's dying of fright! Sammy is so innocent, being five. Thanks 'lblficwriter' for your review! I still read this chapter again cuz I find it so funny, and I can picture it so well. Thanks 'angelcovegirl' for your review! It was Dean's first time to truly love and apreciate the Impala, as well as his first taste of Metalica and ACDC. I mean John listens to it sometimes, but now Dean loves it. Oh yes, Sam loved the trip...Dean however...no so much. And YES! Exactly one of the things...that chapter was also showing why of all things it was Metalica that Dean hummed in "Phantom Traveller".

And a big thanks to 'tuff man' for each of your reviews of all the chapters leading up to this one! They were very motivational and made my day! I'm glad you liked this fic cuz it's one of my fave! (other than my "season4" ep one). Sam's comments about crashing was probably something Dean could have done without! To think you reviewed all the chapters and in each one you said how you liked it etc, and then say this one was your fave...made me very proud! And yeah, this fic is very sad at times because of what Dean goes through...but things will turn a bit better later. This chapter however, be slightly warned...it is sadder than the others, but has lotsa brotherly moments! Plus, another friend to meet!

**Note: I don't knowwhat Caleb's life is like or if he really does have any siblings...since we only saw him one ep...but pfth! **Enjoy!!

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**Chapter Nine: Caleb Knows**

John drove down to Caleb's house and the only thing on his mind was what Caleb had found out about the demon he has been hunting for the past five years, assuming his assumptions were correct about it being a demon.

'Where are we?' Sam asked Dean as they headed towards the house.

'Another one of dad's friends' Dean replied.

'Pasta Jim?' Sam wondered and Dean shook his head. 'Uncle Bobby?'

John raised an eyebrow and at that while Dean shook his head in reply again.

'Uncle Bobby?' John repeated and gave them each a questioning look.

'Uncle Bobby said we can call him Uncle Bobby cuz you and Uncle Bobby are like brothers!' Sam said, happy to "explain" something himself for once.

'Right' John said and thought it over again, trying to figure out exactly what Sam had just said. 'Um, boys meet Caleb' he said as a man approached.

'Hey' Caleb smiled at them and noticed how much the youngest, dark-haired boy resembled his father, while the elder one had a very mature expression, which seemed very strange appearance for a kid his size and age.

Dean saw how his father was acting differently with this friend, as though this was a bit more important that the other times. So Dean wanted to impress his father by doing the right thing.

'Hi Caleb' Dean shook the man's hand, which felt weird. He nudged Sam but saw he was just staring blankly at Caleb.

'What happened to your head?' Sam asked in pure shock and everyone looked at Caleb. 'Do you have canter? Dean said people with Canter have no hair'

'Cancer' Dean corrected.

'Yeah, Canter' Sam nodded.

'Ah' Caleb tried not to laugh. 'No, I just…don't like hair much' he was very caught off guard with that.

'Let's go in shall we?' John asked and they entered the house.

'You boys run along without breaking anything, Caleb and I need to talk for a bit okay?' John asked and Dean grabbed his brother's hand.

'Wanna have a look around Sammy?'

'Kay' Sam nodded and they walked off while John turned to his friend anxiously.

Dean frowned and told Sam they would play hide and seek. Once Sam had rushed off to hide, Dean crept back and listened to what his dad and Caleb were saying because he knew it was something important.

'I don't know if you're going to be relieved or disappointed, but it is a demon' Caleb said. 'You were right John'

'And you're a hundred percent sure?' John asked.

'Yeah, it's one nasty son of bitch demon all right. I can tell you that'

'And any leads?' John asked, the hope almost leaking into his tone.

'I wish I could give you more' Caleb sighed. 'Have you heard anything about a yellow eyed demon?'

'No' John admitted. 'Is that what you think killed Mary?'

'Maybe, but we're really grasping at straws here John' Caleb sighed and saw Dean standing there, his eyes wide and was clearly shocked. He cleared his throat and John looked at him, turning to see what Caleb was staring at.

'Dean?' John frowned. 'I thought I told you to…where's Sam?'

'Hiding…we, were playing hide and seek' Dean said, barely loud enough to make out. 'Daddy, what's a demon?'

John and Caleb looked at each other for a moment but a large squeal interrupted them.

'Sammy' Dean yelped and raced to find his brother.

'Sammy!' Dean screamed in panic and found the small boy sitting under a desk and crying. 'What's wrong? What happened?' Dean grabbed him and held him tight while John and Caleb skidded into view.

Sam was sobbing but held Dean tightly and leaned against him.

'Sammy?' John asked and the small boy looked at him.

Sam sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve before he (with Dean's help) got up and pushed a button on Caleb's answering machine again.

'_Caleb, it's Jim! There are some…I can't…they-attack if…I-Argh!' _the line then went dead and both grown men looked alarmed.

'Pasta Jim gonna be okay, daddy?' Sam asked panickly. 'He said God looks after him, why are bad things after him?'

* * *

John and Caleb worked out that Caleb would stay with the boys while John went to check on Pastor Jim since they were closer friends and John was sure he knew what was going on and exactly how to deal with it.

Caleb had just turned the TV off. He watched as Dean took his brother's hand and led him up the stairs. Caleb followed and was surprised as to how well young Dean took care of his brother.

'And then daddy is gonna find Pastor Jim and because daddy is really strong and cool, he's gonna scare bad people away and save Jim. Then everything will be okay and daddy can come back to us' Dean tried to convince his brother. He helped Sam into bed and tucked him in. 'and when daddy comes back, he's gonna be so tired which means he'll need lots of sleep'

'And Pasta Jim be okay?' Sam asked.

'Yup' Dean nodded. 'He will thank God for sending our daddy to help him'

'But what if-'

'There is no time for "what ifs" Sammy cuz daddy will never let bad men hurt someone he cares about' Dean nodded and Sam's eyes began to close slowly as he calmed down.

'Don't worry, when you wake up…everything will be okay'

Sam nodded and dozed off. Dean sighed in relief and then noticed Caleb watching him.

'You're a good big brother Dean' Caleb said and came over, keeping his voice low. 'Did you know I have a little brother?'

'You do?' Dean asked in surprise. 'But where is he?' he looked around.

'We don't talk anymore' Caleb said sadly.

'Why not? He's your brother' Dean said, slight accusation in his voice.

'We don't get along like you and Sam do. We fought all the time and he just didn't understand why I was always looking after him, telling him things were okay even though I knew things were going terribly wrong. I used to make him feel brave even though I was scared. You know what I mean?' Caleb asked and Dean nodded.

'Yeah' he sighed, glancing at Sam's sleeping form, covering him with blankets.

Caleb liked Dean, not that he was picking favourites, but there was just something about Dean that reminded him of himself. But also of someone that hurting and has spent all his life learning how to hide his pain…to put on a bright face, for other people's sake and not his own. Caleb knew John was too consumed in his hunt for Mary's killer to remember that he did have two very young boys that can't just bottle things up like he did or just face them head on. Because they were just children and they needed someone. It was clear to say Sam has Dean, but then who does Dean have when he really needs someone?

'You know what?' Caleb asked. 'I have three pieces of chocolate cake left, how about we go and eat some? We'll even leave a piece for Sam when he wakes up tomorrow?' Caleb was going to at least let Dean know he wasn't alone. He saw how Dean looked terrified at the thought of leaving Sam there.

'Don't worry, this room is so safe, nothing is going to get your brother without us knowing about it or being here to stop them' he said and Dean shrugged, following him downstairs to the kitchen.

Caleb lifted Dean up onto the high stool beside the counter and placed a plate of chocolate cake in front of him.

Dean picked up the spoon he was given and started eating while Caleb got him some juice to help get it down.

Caleb smiled as Dean's feet kicked softly against the counter so he was clearly happy to be eating cake with a grown up while Sam was sleeping safely. It also meant he was off big brother duties for now.

'So how long have you been looking after Sam?' Jim asked as he stood in front of Dean with his own chocolate cake.

Dean shrugged. 'Since mum died' he said. He wasn't the one who wanted to talk about anything involving himself or how he felt, but Caleb knew about big brother duties and he didn't need Dean like his dad did, so he figured it was okay to talk a bit to Caleb.

'Well he's very lucky' Caleb smiled. 'And how is Sam dealing with losing Mary?' he asked, not sure if he should call her their mum, mummy or by her name or what.

Dean's head rose and he looked at Caleb in surprise. 'Mary?' he asked. 'That my mum's name?'

'You didn't know?' Caleb asked with a nod.

'Not really' Dean looked sad and guilty now. 'Daddy won't talk about her because it hurts him too much and Sammy never knew her. He was my baby brother then' he sighed.

'Do you want to talk about her?' Caleb asked, fearing he might have gone a bit too far with that question but Dean seemed to be thinking about it.

'No' he then decided. 'Makes me sad too' he sighed and looked back down at his half-eaten chocolate cake slice.

'Okay' Caleb nodded and breathed in relief.

'And Sammy is okay, because he has me and he doesn't remember mum' Dean answered Caleb's earlier question.

'And how are you holding up?'

Dean seemed almost confused then, as though he had never once stopped to think how he was doing.

'I'll live' was his only reply and as much as Caleb wanted to sort it out, he knew pushing this subject was going to do more harm then help.

'Okay' Caleb nodded again and thought for a moment. 'Dean?'

Dean looked up at him, having finished his cake.

'I just want you to know that you're not alone okay? The reason my little brother and I don't talk anymore is because I worried too much about him and we never sat to talk about things. Like how I was feeling or I would never tell him when I just needed someone'

'Sammy is only five' Dean reminded him.

'True, but you underestimate him sometimes. He may be your little brother, but he is smart and I think he would like to know when you're feeling a bit sad or when you maybe need someone to make you feel better for once'

Dean hated that Caleb thought he was underestimating his own brother, but he did realise what he was trying to say.

'If I say I'm sad or something, Sam might get scared that I'm not strong enough. That if something happens I won't be able to look after him'

'I don't think so' Caleb said as he spotted Sam by the stairs. 'Sam, what are you doing up?'

Dean turned around quickly and looked at the smaller boy in worry. Caleb helped Dean down and he rushed to Sam's side.

'I had bad dream' Sam announced and hugged Dean. 'Make bad dream go away Dean!' he pleaded and held onto him as his brother picked him up.

Caleb doubted Dean was going to get up those stairs with Sam in his arms so he picked them both up and carried them to their room, placing them back onto the bed.

Dean watched Caleb leave and turned to Sam. 'Tell me about your dream' he said.

'There was daddy and Pasta Jim' Sam sniffed and held onto Dean. 'Bad thing was trying to take them away!' he cried.

Dean hugged him and realised Caleb was right, sometimes he needed a bit of comfort too.

Sam was calming down because the dream had only gotten scary at the last minute. He then noticed the difference between the hug Dean was giving him. It was longer and stronger, as though Dean wasn't just trying to make him feel better.

'Dean okay?' he asked and Dean looked at him.

'Yeah' Dean nodded. 'Of course I am. Hey, it was just a bad dream okay? Daddy and Pastor Jim are gonna be fine. Let's get some sleep alright?'

Sam nodded and lay down beside Dean.

'Dean?' he asked.

'Yeah bro?'

'Why are you sad?' he asked and looked up at his face, no longer tired. 'You miss mummy…like the rabbit did?' he asked, remembering the story Dean told him at Bobby's.

Dean wasn't sure what to say then.

'Just get some sleep' he said. 'We'll talk about this later'

'Promise?' Sam asked, yawning.

'Yeah okay, I promise…now sleep'

Sam moved closer to Dean, so he was against his side.

'I love you Dean' he mumbled reaching out and holding Dean's hand before drifting to sleep.

* * *

By 6am the next morning, Caleb was up, checking through some of his books and grabbed his cell phone as it started ringing. He went to his room and shut the door in case the boys were up yet.

'John?' he asked and answered the phone.

'Nah, Jim here' came Pastor Jim's tired voice. 'John is resting. I just wanted to call to say we're okay and that you might have to keep the boys another night. Is that okay?'

'Yeah, it's cool' Caleb sighed. 'How is he?'

'Few stitches and bruises, but he'll live' Jim sighed. 'As he keeps reminding me so I don't send him to the hospital. What is it with these Winchesters? So darn stubborn'

'Tell me about it' Caleb frowned.

'He knew I was gonna call so I need to give him something to prevent him from driving up there in his tired state…how are the boys?'

'Great' Caleb replied, more for John's sake rather than the pure truth. 'They are catching up on a lot of sleep and enjoying themselves'

'Good, I wish it could stay that way. Anyway um, we'll keep in touch'

'Thanks for the update' Caleb said and hung up. He put the phone back in his pocket and opened the door to find Sam standing there.

'Good morning Sam' Caleb smiled. 'Have a good sleep?'

'Yup' Sam nodded. 'Dean making breakfast' he pointed to the kitchen. 'He said to make sure you wake…are you wake?'

'Sure am' Caleb nodded enthusiastically and carried Sam into the kitchen. 'Don't worry Dean. I'll do it' Caleb lifted Dean from the chair and placed him beside Sam. 'Jim called just a minute ago boys, he-'

'Daddy okay?' Sam jumped in.

'Yes, they're both perfectly fine. But are very tired so they need lots of sleep and you two will be staying here another night'

'Kay' Sam grinned. 'Daddy okay! Daddy okay!' he jumped in joy.

'How about no more cereal? Let's have something a little more exciting. How about you boys go play while I cook up some pancakes?' he asked and Sam grinned even more.

'Pancakes!' he grabbed Dean. 'Pancakes, Dean!'

'Yeah' Dean smirked a little and grabbed Sam's hand, leading him out of the kitchen like he was told.

Caleb grabbed the cookbook once he was sure they were out of sight and stared hard at the instructions.

'Okay, pancakes…can't be too hard' he frowned uncertainly.

* * *

Dean led Sam out to the backyard. Caleb had told them yesterday that it was completely safe to play out there since it was fenced and the sliding door is usually always kept open during the day.

'You promised' Sam reminded Dean, looking up at his brother. 'You said you'd tell me why you sad'

Dean wished Sam didn't have a good memory but he was right…he had promised, damn him.

'Do you miss mummy?' Sam asked, trying to help because he couldn't really remember the last time Dean had told him when he was feeling sad.

'Yeah' Dean sighed and Sam grabbed his hand, leading him over to a tree and sitting down. He pulled Dean down with him and just stared at him.

'Um, well I just miss having her here' Dean shrugged, not really sure how to talk about his feelings but it even harder because he didn't want Sam getting upset as well.

'Did she tuck you in and say she loved you, like the mummies in the stories?' Sam wondered, feeling that this was his turn to help Dean feel better for once.

'Yeah, she did it to you too, Sammy. She loved us both very much' Dean sighed, looking at his brother. Dean saw that Sam wasn't sad or scared, but he looked calm and interested in what Dean was saying so he kept going. 'She would tell us that angels were watching over us and that she loved us'

Sam nodded and stood up, he hugged Dean the same way Dean had hugged him the night before.

'This hug is different' Sam stated as he sat back down, proud of his discovery. 'There are too different hugs, Dean. There the hug I get everyday, then there this special hug'

'And why is it special?' Dean asked, a bit confused.

'Because this hug is a brother hug' Sam said, trying to work it out himself. 'Means we understand each other' he nodded. 'Other hug for love, this hug for understanding' Sam gasped out the big and complicated word.

Dean was surprised that Sam knew what understanding was and that he could say it. 'You're right' he nodded.

'I want more special hugs, Dean' Sam said. 'You make me feel better when I sad, now I make you feel better' Sam smiled at that, it make him feel very important to Dean.

'Okay' Dean said and was so glad to be relieved from that sickening pain that had been building up over the years, that he wasn't aware his eyes were tearing up and one slipped down his cheek.

Sam was surprised that he had seen his brother cry, as it didn't happen very much, not in front of him. Sam knew some nights Dean would cry and hide in his bed, but now Sam realised why Dean didn't cry in front of him.

'Dean?'

'Yeah?' Dean quickly wiped his tears.

'I want to know when you sad, so I can make you better' he nodded.

'Okay Sam' Dean nodded.

'Sammy' he corrected. 'You can call me Sammy' he smiled.

'Okay Sammy' Dean said. 'Now let's go check on Caleb okay?'

'Yup' Sam said and let Dean pull him to his feet. 'And Dean? Pasta Jim said that a hero is someone that looks after people and keeps them safe. They are strong and cool and can do anything! You're my hero Dean' he smiled proudly. 'I wanna be just like you!'

'You already are, you're my brother' Dean smiled, feeling honoured. 'But what about dad? He's strong and cool too'

'Daddy is…daddy' Sam said 'You're my hero Dean' he nodded, preparing to defend that if Dean disagreed with him.

'Thanks Sammy' Dean said.

'Welcome' Sam nodded and they went back into the kitchen where Caleb was putting plates on the table, thankful that he was able to make edible, non-burnt pancakes for them. He saw the boys come in and noticed the calm look on Dean's face and the proud one on Sam's. Dean's eyes were a bit red, but judging by their faces, the brothers had worked something out together this time, completely together. Maybe now Dean wouldn't feel so alone because he realises that he has Sam too.

Sam is more than just his brother; he's his best friend too.

* * *

**Author's notes: **Well there ya go! I hope y'all liked it and please let me know what you thought of it all! 


	10. Pedal by Pedal

**Author's notes: **The reviews I got here overwhelming! I was thrilled! So thanks 'dartigen' for your review.You are so right! _"If there were more big brothers like Dean and little brothers like Sam in the world, it would be a much better place"._ Thanks 'meilinglovesshaoran' for your review. Yes, there was a section in the last chapter where I acidently put "Jim" instead of "Caleb" so sorry for that guys! Thanks for letting me know. Thanks 'angelscovegirl' for your review. Yeah, Dean is starting to understand that sometimes even he needs someone like Sam to look after him. He sees that Sam is a lot tougher than he lets on at times. They're really bonding now.Thank 'lblficwriter' for your review.Yeah, the one tear and the talking, at elast Dean knows he has Sam now. Thanks 'sammygirl1963' for your review. Yeah, poor Caleb. Sam just couldn't help but notice! The end scene was my fave, glad you liked it too! Thanks 'cavetrollgrl' for your review. Caleb is very understanding to Dean's situation and knows how to help the bes the can, so it was good Dean had him.This is a very brotherly-bonding chapter and there will be more soon enough. The brotherly love just keeps coming! Thanks 'living in a fantasy' for your review. Dean did show is sad side, and hopefully he can continue to do that, but we know Dean...he's as stubborn as his father. Caleb was fun to write, so saying I ddi him well was really encouraging, thanks! Thanks 'Tuff man' for your review! Brotherly-love conquers all! Sam is very keen on being called 'Sammy' now so Dean won't have much choice in the matter if he refuses, guess that's how it becomes a habit.Your review was motivating as well, thanks.

Thankyou everyone for your reviews because they were probably the most i've recieved for one chapter in less than two weeks! So thanks, they motivated me to write more and inspired me so you're all wonderful! Now, enough from me...on with the chapter!

* * *

**Chapter Ten: Pedal by Pedal**

John parked the Impala just outside of Caleb's place the next day and got out, being cautious of his sore shoulder. That demon was one damned bitch! He inhaled sharply and braced himself because Sam was going to hug him, regardless of what he said about a sore shoulder. At least Dean as cautious of any injuries his dad might have before hugging him.

John stood outside the door for a moment and then pushed it open.

'Daddy!' Sam squealed in delight and rushed to him, hugging him hard.

'Oof!' John yelped and almost toppled backwards. He used the doorframe for support, which was probably just as well. It seems the longer he left Sam, the stronger his hugs.

'Hey dad' Dean grinned and pulled Sam off him. 

John couldn't even respond as he kept his mind straight on breathing.

'Daddy okay?' Sam wondered.

'Oh yeah, great' John grumbled in sarcasm, thankful that the small boy wasn't able to pick up on sarcasm yet.

'Yay' Sam went to hug him again but Dean grabbed him.

'Ah, we going now dad?'

'Yeah Dean, go get your stuff' John sighed and Caleb came into the room.

'Hey John' he nodded and John smirked sarcastically.

'That bad huh?' Caleb smiled in amusement. 'Jim okay?'

'Oh he's great, thanks to me' John sighed. 'Old man is getting out of practice'

'Well it was hollowed ground' Caleb shrugged. 'What was it anyway?'

'Demon, and it wasn't in the church' John answered but went quiet again as Dean and Sam came back with their bags. 

'Well thanks again' John smiled at his friend.

'No trouble, take care of yourselves' Caleb waved and shut the door. 'Damn Winchesters' he sighed and shook his head. 'Knock one down and he'll get up to bite you back' 

* * *

John told the boys to wait in the car while he went up to the motel office. 

'Hey um' he smiled at the clerk behind the counter.

'Need a room?' the lady asked. She wasn't an elderly lady, but at least a few years older than John. 

'Yeah. You take MasterCard?'

'Sure do, hon' she smiled and accepted his card. 'Those your boys?'

'Yeah' John nodded but just wanted a room so he could rest.

'Where's their mother?' she asked and saw the pained look on his face. 'I'm sorry' she said. 'Would you like two singles, a single and a double or two doubles?' she wondered.

'Two doubles' John grunted and rubbed his face with his palm.

'Okay, there you go Mr Anderson' she smiled and handed him a key. 

John went back to the car and drove it closer to the room, as usual it was the one he preferred: furtherest from office and away from the main road area. He got out and Dean soon followed close by with Sam at his side, annoyed at being woken up.

John yanked open the motel room door and collapsed onto the nearest bed, asleep instantly.

Dean sighed and guessed his dad had gone through a tough time saving Pastor Jim. He released Sam's hand and turned to shut the door, locking it as well. 

Sam rubbed his eyes and yawned. Dean noticed and picked him up. He carried his sleepy brother over to the other bed and laid him on it. Sam was fast asleep in seconds, sucking his thumb happily. Dean was a bit tired too, but he sucked it up and got on with the job as his dad always told him. 

Dean grabbed his dad's bag and yanked out the salt tin. He salted the door and all the windows in the entire motel room that he could find. He hung his head with another sigh and then returned the tin back to his dad's bag. After that he checked the salt lines and dragged his feet over to the bed and lay beside Sam as carefully as he could without waking him. Sam rolled over unconsciously and leaned against him, gripping Dean's shirt with his spare hand while the other one was occupied with the thumb sucking. 

* * *

It was dark when John roused. He sat up and instantly regretted it. His shoulder was so damn painful. He shedded his jacket and over shirt, then his shirt and went into the bathroom to see how bad it was. It was really bad. He knew it meant it needed stitching up and John now regretted telling Jim it was fine. He sighed and went to his bag, grabbing the first aid kit and some stitching materials. Unfortunately though, the wound was too out of his reach. He shut his eyes and cursed at himself before glancing over at Dean, not wanting to have to do this but he was facing either that or the hospital and that option was really not a good idea…for many, endless reasons.

'Dean?' John asked but he was sound asleep. He used his good arm to scoop his eldest up off the bed, cautious not to wake Sam.

'D-dad?' Dean woke in surprise and was put on the floor. 'I salted the place' he said and John looked around, surprised he'd forgotten to do that.

'Good boy' John smiled. 'Ah, I know it's a bit early to be teaching you this…but ah, when I helped Pastor Jim…the thing got my shoulder pretty bad and I can't reach it to stitch it up'

'Oh…so you want me to?' Dean asked nervously and John nodded. 'Okay' Dean agreed, not wanting to let his dad down when he needed him. 

* * *

Sam opened his eyes and rubbed his nose. He sat up and yawned loudly. His mouth staying hanging open once he saw his dad sitting on the bed shirtless and Dean standing on the bed behind him…stitching up the last part of his wound. John winced again and grinded his teeth but didn't want Dean to get the wrong idea so he bit down on his yelps and sucked it up.

Sam jumped off the bed and rushed over.

'What happened? What doing?' he demanded.

'Dad's just got bit of an owie' Dean said in a way Sam would understand and tied the knots like John had instructed earlier. 

'That one big owie' Sam gasped after seeing it and walked in front of his dad. 'You kay daddy?'

'Yeah' John said through clenched teeth. 'Dean's doing a great job'

Dean finished and John got his shirt back on. 

'So you boys up for pizza?' he asked and Sam grinned.

'Pizza! Pizza!' he jumped and Dean cracked a smile but was still a bit shaken up.

'You okay Dean?' John asked.

'Super' Dean nodded untruthfully and went to wash his hands. 

* * *

John woke the boys up early the next morning to tell them he had to go out for the day to pick up some stuff. And that the lady at the motel reception was going to keep an eye on them but shouldn't bother them much, only with a snack or drink every few hours since she couldn't help herself.

'Sammy bored' Sam announced as he and Dean sat outside, leaning against their motel room door. They were currently watching some of the people clearing out for work or lunch, leaving the place mostly deserted. 

'Ah okay' Dean thought for a moment. No TV because they needed some fresh air (plus nothing worth watching was on) and they never have any toys…

'Look Dean, look!' Sam grabbed him and pointed to the end of the car park. 'The lady has a bike' he smiled.

Dean saw the reception lady going through some of her old things in one of the small sheds and a small bike was one of the many items being removed. Dean grabbed Sam's hand and led him over.

'Excuse me? Can we play with that bike?' he asked politely, pointing to the discarded item.

'Oh sure, you boys can have it' the reception lady smiled at him and held out the red bike as well as a blue helmet.

'Still got your helmet on properly?' Dean asked as he came back outside, ready to teach Sam how to ride the bike since it was his perfect size for him and the helmet fitted perfectly. They had tried to before but never really got a good bike or enough time…this time Dean was going to teach Sam to ride a bike!

'Yes sir!' Sam cheered. 'Don't I need those other things? For knees and elbows?'

'Nah, you're not a cry-baby' Dean told him but it was mainly because the lady didn't have any. 'Ready?'

'Yup!' Sam was grinning happily. He was so excited to finally be able to ride a bike!

'Okay' Dean helped him onto the bike and steadied it for him. 

'Go! Go!' Sam was saying, bouncing on his seat a bit. He'd tried to ride a bike before but only had it for a bit and with Dean's support. 'Go Dean!' he said.

'Hang on!' Dean frowned at his hyped up brother.

'To what?' Sam panicked.

'Huh?' Dean looked at him.

'You said hang on…to what?' Sam tipped his head sideways in confusion.

'Ah…' Dean sighed. 'The handlebars' he pointed and Sam gripped him so tight his knuckles paled. 'Good. Now, I'm going to push you for a bit but you have to steer and pedal okay?'

'Yup! Go!' Sam yelled and Dean started pushing the bike.

'Pedal Sam!' Dean reminded him as he was doing all the hard work here.

Sam looked at his feet and started pedalling.

'Watch where you're going!' Dean yelled and Sam looked up in time to watch as Dean grabbed the bike tighter, skidding it to a stop a few inches before a parked car.

'Again! Again!' Sam cheered and Dean sighed in relief of not getting his brother hurt or wrecking some stranger's car. Dean knew that Sam saw this as just another ride Dean was providing him and didn't seem to understand that he actually had to do something too. Dean thought how to explain this to his five-year-old brother.

'Sam?' he sighed.

'Yeah Dean?' Sam smiled at him. 

'Riding a bike is a bit…different. Um, we need to work together as a team okay?'

'Okay' Sam nodded.

'Okay…now we each have a job to do. I'll push the bike and keep it steady while you pedal and make sure we don't crash…deal?'

'Deal' Sam nodded; feeling even more excited to have a very important job.

'Pedal' Dean ordered and Sam stuck his tongue out in concentration, pedalling as hard as he could. His steering was a bit wobbly at first while he tried to control the bike, but he got the hang of it and learnt to look where he was going and not at his feet or the ground.

'Way to go Sam!' Dean cheered and clapped. He'd just released the bike and Sam went pedalling away on his own.

'How do I stop?' Sam yelled as he saw a tree approaching fast and his feet kept going without his control.

Dean knew he had to learn but Sam was panicking so he just ran to the bike and grabbed it, pulling it to a sudden stop.

Sam sat there, pale hands gripping handlebars and his eyes scrunched tight, preparing for impact…that never came.

'Again, again!' Sam cheered. 

'Promise you won't crash this time?' Dean sighed.

'I didn't crash' Sam crossed his arms and frowned at Dean.

'Because I stopped you'

'You can stop me again, so I won't crash' Sam nodded.

'Sam…'

'Go! Go!' Sam bounced on his seat again. 'Look! Daddy!' he jumped off as the Impala drove to park near their motel room.

'What are you boys doing?' John asked, looking a bit concerned that they were so far from the room.

'I riding bike, Dean stopping my crashing' Sam nodded.

'You're riding a bike?' John smiled proudly but it had been one thing he had wanted to teach Sam…oh well, at least someone taught him.

'Yup! Watch me daddy!' Sam grabbed Dean and pulled his brother over to where the bike lay.

'On!' Sam demanded and Dean helped him onto the bike. 'Push me and I show daddy!'

Dean nodded and helped Sam start off.

Sam drove around the car park without assistance or crashing. He was so determined to show his dad that he could do something too. Normally all the praise and encouragements from John were directed at Dean, So Sam felt this was his chance to get something from his dad for a change. He pedalled hard and gripped the handlebars to control his steering and was so proud that he could ride his bike around without needed Dean as the brakes or to prevent likely crashes. He heard Dean cheered and his dad clapping, so that made him feel really good. Sam kept riding as he spoke.

'How do I stop?' he asked Dean.

'You know how you're pedalling forward?' Dean asked, thinking quickly.

'Yup!' Sam replied.

'Well, pedal backwards' Dean instructed and Sam pulled a face.

Sam did not know how changing pedalling direction was going to make any difference but he trusted his brother and obeyed. The bike screeched to a sudden halt right beside Dean and John.

'I did it!' Sam jumped of and leapt in joy. 'I ride bike by myself!'

'Way to go, Sammy!' Dean grinned.

Sam nodded a "thanks" and looked up at his dad hopefully. Dean bit his lip and looked up at John as well, it wasn't common for Sam to get praise for his achievements so he just hoped that this time was different.

John didn't see how riding a bike was of any real use or how it was a big deal, but the looks he was getting from both the boys suggested it was a big deal to them. 

'Ah…' he sighed and crouched down to Sam's level. 'High five' he held up his hand.

Sam grinned big and gave his dad a high five happily, feeling a sense of accomplishment. 

'Again, again!' Sam then grabbed Dean's arm. 'Pleeeease?' he pleaded and remembered how certain faces get him his way and pulled the "cute" one.

'Okay' Dean nodded and helped Sam back onto the bike.

John watched the boys for another minute before going to unload some large books from the car. 

* * *

The next day was a Friday and just as the day before, the boys were bored. John had made it clear that they would not be keeping the bike, so Sam wanted to ride it every chance he got. And that's what he did.

'Here you go' a voice reached Dean's ears, making him jump. He then looked up to see the reception lady was placing a plate of sandwiches beside him.

'Chicken and salad' she announced. 'I didn't know what you boys like, but they're really nice' she smiled and then placed two bottles of cold water next to the plate. 'If you need anything else, I'll be in the office'

Sam saw the lady walking off and spotted the food. He jumped off his bike, forgetting to hit the brakes and rushed over, causing the bike to crash to the ground loudly.

'Be careful' Dean sighed, but knew his brother wasn't listening.

'Yum!' Sam grinned at the taste of real food instead of heat-ups or takeaways.

'Um Sam? We need to hit the books soon…okay?' Dean asked. Since they were both home-schooled then they had to study the books their dad had given them and that had to be done three times a week. Today being one of the days in which from lunchtime to dinnertime…it was study, study and more study!

'Yup' Sam nodded. 'But I still can't read Dean' 

'I'll teach you' Dean sighed, but he wasn't the best reader yet himself, being only nine-years-old. 

* * *

John arrived back to the motel room on time for dinner that night and brought the boys some bought food to share, such as chips, pies and stuff. It wasn't the healthiest meal but if it filled them up then all was well.

'Tur…tle' Sam poked his tongue out again and focused hard on the word Dean was pointing to in one of their books. 'Turtle!' Sam grinned and looked at Dean.

'That's right' Dean confirmed and moved to the next word.

'Said' Sam smirked because he knew that one. 'Th-en th-the big cr…croc…oh…dile' Sam frowned. 'Crocodile!'

'Good!' Dean was very proud at how far Sam had come today, he was reading more words then Dean really could at his age.

John placed some things near the door and in his room, listening and watching his sons happily. But had Dean noticed the look…he wouldn't be as cheerful. John's expression was of someone whom was worried and even stressed about a decision he has reached.

'J…jum…jump-ed, an-and th-en he t-turn-ed…' Sam sighed and rubbed his eyes a bit.

'Okay, enough for today' Dean decided, seeing the strain on his brother's face.

Sam frowned in disappointment when Dean closed the book but smelt food. 'Hi daddy' he waved to him, noticing him for the first time. 'What wrong?'

Dean was in instant attention at those words and looked at his father's face.

'Um, nothing' John lied and tried to look happier, but he felt a sickening drop in his stomach. 'Boys ah…there's something I've got to tell you' he sat across from them. 

Sam and Dean stared at him almost without blinking and while John tried to think of the right wording, Sam assumed it was another guessing game.

'Are we moving again?' he asked and John was actually relieved to do it this way.

'No Sam…well actually yes but only a short way…more into town' John sighed. 'There's something else' he added, so they knew the moving wasn't the main part of this conversation at all.

'We meeting Pasta Jim?' Sam asked hopefully.

'We've already met Pastor Jim' Dean reminded him.

'I wanna meet him again!' Sam frowned and saw John shake his head. 'Then we meet other friend like Uncle Bobby or Caleb?'

'No, nothing like that' John sighed. 

'We're not going on plane again…are we?' Dean joined in, his voice a bit shaky though.

'I like planes' Sam felt the need to mention.

'Nope' John frowned, he'd have to just tell them. 'Ever since…for a while now you boys have been home-schooled' he said, starting to explain but every breath of air was Sam's assumption to say something.

'What's that?' he asked.

'Learning at home…not at a real school' Dean told him and continued to stare at his father's face. 

'Sam, Dean…well, it's time you boys went to a proper school. To interact with kids your age and…yeah' he sighed. 'You both start real school on Monday, okay?'

Sam's eyes went huge and he was speechless. Dean however did not like the idea even the slightest.

'No! No, I don't wanna!' he screamed and Sam jumped.

'Too bad' John said firmly. 'Both of you are starting school Monday…final!' he then left the room to announce that the conversation was over.

'Real school bad?' Sam wondered, judging by his brother's outburst. 

'No' Dean sighed, not wanting to ruin Sam's first school experience by scaring him. 'I've been a few times…it's okay. Just…' he sighed. 'Come on, time for dinner'

Sam nodded and reached over for a pie. 'We go real school' he said. 'Cool'

'If ya say so' Dean sighed with a shrug

'I say so!' Sam snapped and then sat back in his chair to enjoy his dinner.

* * *

**Author's notes:** They y'all go! I know some of you have been asking about Sam's first day of school and such, and now we're finally getting around to it. Dean has been the school a few times, but only for a week or so maximum. This time they'll be going like regular students...for now. Anyway, it's not all school stuff of course, I'm still going to bring in Bobby, Jim and Caleb whenever possible as they're so much fun! Please let me know what you all thought! Please review!


	11. Home Schooled No More

**Author's notes: **Thanks 'sammygirl1963' for your review. I know some of you wanted to see Sam learning to ride a bike, so what better person to do that than Dean? Heh, yeah, Dean couldn't have Sam crashing! Thanks 'angelscovegirl' for your review. Seperating two Winchester's is never a good thing! Sam and Dean have hadrly been seperated like this before so the only question then is: who handles it better? Thanks 'banana4dean' for your review. Glad you liked it, and poor boys indeed. But now they're about to be seperated. Thanks 'lblficwriter' for your review. You're welcome! Sam's first week of school is fun, and I am actually greatful to use this school storyline because there is so much I can do with it, and so much can go wrong lol! Sam and Dean are like two opposites when it comes to school: one loves it, the other hates it. Anyways, hope y'all enjoy this chapter cuz I certainly did!

**Chapter 11 Home schooled no more**

Dean groaned and shoved his brother away again. 'No, leave me alone!'

'Up! Get up!' Sam squealed at him for the third time before climbing onto the bed to jump on him. 'Up!'

'I'M UP!' Dean screamed out and sat up angrily. 

Sam climbed down and rushed back to his room to get dressed into his first ever school uniform.

Dean sulked for a moment until he knew he had no choice in the matter.

It was Monday morning and John was making breakfast for a change while the boys got ready for school. It was a very weird feeling for John to be acting like a normal dad. One that gets up in the morning to make breakfast while the boys dressed and brushed their hair. They had to tie their shoes (Sam had Dean do his though) and make sure their bags were packed. During the time they ate their toast, John had to pack their lunch and fill up drink bottles as well as giving Dean the lunch money for them both.

'All set?' John asked once he was sure all that had to be done was done.

'Yup!' Sam jumped and raced out the door, followed by his sleepy brother. 

* * *

'Okay. Now Dean: no fighting or backchat to your teacher okay? Sam: Dean will be with you at lunchtime but you'll be in a different class okay? So go make some friends and whatever. But remember: you boys are not to talk about what goes on at home'

'Why not?' Dean wondered while Sam watched the huge school and saw many kids playing. He was so excited, but was also listening to his father's every word.

'They won't understand' John said. 'Trust me, don't tell them anything they don't need to know' He said very firmly. 'Now go on…have a good day'

'Bye' Dean got out of the front seat with his schoolbag and waited for Sam.

'Bye daddy' Sam leaned close to kiss his father's cheek before getting out of the backseat, dragging his schoolbag with him. He shoved the door shut and grabbed Dean's awaiting hand.

John watched his sons walking past the other kids nervously and sighed. They did look rather nice in their dark blue shorts and light blue t-shirts…along with their blue wide-brim hats, (which took a lot of effort to get on Dean since he was reluctant). It was almost sad. That it took something as normal as his youngest boy's first day of school to realise that they were children and that they had every right to be children. John knew he wasn't really much of a father anymore but more of a commander, someone that was only their to toughen them up…to train them to beat any odds. 

'No' John shook those thought from his mind. 'Now's not the time' he sighed. 'We're not any normal family' he remembered and got his mind back on track. The boys were going to school only because he was fearful of another issue from people like that "evil" Kathy woman. Children were meant to go to school, so that was how it had to be, even if their future was far beyond any education they learnt in those school walls.

John started the engine and drove off; he had a lot of research to do for tomorrow night. 

* * *

Sam stood in the open doorway of his classroom and was just so shy. Dean had led him here and told him how everything was gonna be great and all, but Sam just was feeling some sort of weird sickening in his stomach. The room was crowded with tables filled with kids his age and the windows were really big. In the front of the room was a large board where a woman stood. Some kids were watching Sam and it took a moment for the woman to notice.

'Samuel Winchester?' she guessed but Sam was too frozen stiff to speak so he gave a quick, nervous nod.

'I'm Mrs Lark, come in' she smiled and placed a hand on his back to guild him over to a desk where another boy sat. 'This is Jeremy, I'm sure you two will get along fine' she said and went back to the board.

Sam fidgeted in his seat for a bit while Mrs Lark introduced herself and then started handing out paper. 

'Now, since we are all different people and are from many different families…I would like each of you to draw your family that you live with' she smiled in hopes of getting to know all the children better. 'And any pets you may have as well' she added.

Sam stared hard at the sheet of paper he was given and wondered if this broke any of his dad's rules. But he saw every other kid, including the boy beside him was doing it and he didn't want to be left out or seem weird. Sam grabbed a pen and thought for a moment. Deciding it was okay; Sam started to draw his dad. Sam was actually enjoying himself and this place felt safe enough. Being around so many kids his age was great and made him feel like he wasn't so different, even when he knew he was. He grabbed another pen to draw Dean. He paused for a moment to wonder what Dean was doing right now, but then he went back to his picture happily, his feet swinging a few inches off the ground. 

* * *

While Sam was drawing pictures of him, Dean was in his classroom watching as his teacher wrote things on the board. They were doing some Math at the moment and it was never Dean's strongest point.

'Mathew' the teacher, Mr Stanley, called one of the boys Dean was sitting behind to come out to the front and answer the math equation he'd written on the board.

Dean glanced over to the window to stare out it absentminded and wondered how his brother was going. He sighed and glanced back to the board and decided to at least put some effort in. 

'Dean' Mr Stanley then called out with a new sum to be done. Dean felt nervous as he reluctantly made his way to the front and stared at the sum.

'Nine plus Twelve' he frowned and scratched his head. He then bit his lip as he tried to work it out.

'Dean?' Mr Stanley asked after a few minutes. 

'Hm' Dean replied and could almost feel all his classmates watching him and a few giggles came as well. He felt stupid and hated this class now. He couldn't work out a simple sum!

'Twenty' he mumbled a random guess.

'Close' Mr Stanley replied. 'It's actually twenty-two'

'Whatever' Dean shrugged as he chucked the chalk away and walked quickly back to his desk. He just hoped that Sam was having a much better day than he was. 

* * *

'And this is my big brother' Sam smiled proudly at his class while he pointed to the blue person in his picture. 

'So it's your mum, dad and big brother?' Mrs Lark smiled and Sam nodded in confirmation.

'Yup'

'How old is your brother?' Mrs Lark asked curiously since it was nice to hear Sam talking; he seemed to be a very quiet, cautious child.

'Nine' Sam told her and then she clapped.

'Well, thankyou for sharing that with us Samuel' she said and faced the class. 'Does anyone have any questions for Samuel?' she saw no one raising their hands so she let Sam go back to his seat and called up Emily.

Sam sat back down in relief but then remembered something and put his hand up.

'Yes Samuel?'

'Miss, can you call me "Sam" please? Everyone does' he asked politely.

'Oh, okay…no problem' she smiled. 

* * *

Lunch came around and Mrs Lark felt she had made progress with her class and even had them stick their pictures on a section of the wall. It was their second week here, well first for Sam…but they had to start putting some things on the walls as she was so used to having pictures everywhere from last year.

Most of the kids had grabbed their lunchboxes and rushed from the room, but Sam seemed to be taking his time and waiting for the others to leave. Mrs Lark watched the boy in curiosity. He was such a mystery to her; He was a very quiet child, yet he seemed to have a very calm and joyful spirit in him. Sam appeared to be taking his time and Mrs Lark was about to approach him when she heard running from the hall.

'Sam!' an older boy appeared at the doorway. He had sort-of spiky hair, which reminded Mrs Lark of her son a bit…although he was fourteen.

'Sammy' Dean gasped, out of breath and rushed to his brother. 

'Hi Dean' Sam smiled at him and yanked the lid off his lunchbox to check inside. 'Daddy didn't give us much' he frowned sadly. 

'That's cuz there wasn't much in the fridge, but he gave us money' Dean pulled out some notes while Mrs Larks pretended to be busy while she listened to them and snuck a look at them ever once and again.

'Dean?' Sam then said and looked a bit guilty. 'My teacher made me draw our family' he pointed to his picture on the wall beside them. 

'So?' Dean glanced up and saw a picture of Sam, him, dad and…mum. 'Oh…you drew mum?'

'Yeah' Sam nodded. 'I didn't want them to think we're weird or different'

'That's okay, Sammy' Dean sighed. 'Let's talk about this later, I'm hungry' he took his brother's hand and led him from the room, both unaware of Mrs Lark's watchful gaze. She frowned for a moment and then made sure they were gone. She walked down the hallway, her heels clacking as she went. Mrs Larks found Mr Stanley's classroom and knocked.

'Yes?' he asked as she opened the door. He sighed and turned to face her. 'Claire?' he asked, a bit surprised.

'Yes…can we have a word, Mark?' she asked, shutting the door behind her. 

* * *

Sam's feet swung happy since they were unable to reach the ground. He was sitting beside his brother on a seat and just eating his sandwich. Dean was having an apple and watching the other kids play. It was Sam's first day of school and Dean's first day in a long time. So neither of them was in any type on confidence to go over and ask strangers if they could play as well. Sam didn't mind though because he was quite okay with just spending the day with his big brother, as usual.

Dean however, he loved his brother but also wouldn't mind to play with another kid his age for a change. But that was nowhere close enough to make him leave his brother's side. 

* * *

Mark Stanley and Claire Lark watched from the staffroom window. The boys were noticeably distant from all the other children.

'What do you think?' Mark asked her. 'Abuse?'

'No, I don't know about that one' Claire replied. 'Sam is a very peaceful boy, like he's secretive but not in a hurt way…sort of' she sighed, not making much sense. 'How is Dean?'

'Stubborn, rude and the classic teacher's nightmare' Mark frowned. 

'Hm' Claire said and then sighed. 'I dunno, maybe it's nothing' she shook her head. 'But we should keep an eye on them, try to find out a bit more'

'Yeah, defiantly' Mark nodded. 

* * *

After lunch, Sam's class did some painting of their favourite person, while Dean's class did a bit of reading about dragons and mystical creatures. The second lunch came around soon enough and Mark noticed how fast Dean left the classroom. Claire waited while Sam took his time again until Dean came to get him. She was very good at picking up on things since her father was a detective at one stage. She figured out that Sam had been told not to leave his classroom until Dean came to get him, which he was quick to do. 

* * *

During that lunch break, Sam and Dean ate in silence again. But it was a comfortable silence and they were rather relaxed, until a boy about ten came over.

'Hey, never seen you guys before' he stated and Dean instantly went to protective-brother mode.

'We just moved here' Dean said, which was partially a lie.

'Where from?' the boy asked.

'Arizona' Dean lied, it was the location John had given them to say they were from if asked.

'Hot there? I heard it's hot there'

'Ah yeah' Dean shrugged. 'Kinda'

'Hm, well I'm Karl' he held out a hand and Dean shook it, only to be pulled off the seat and onto the ground.

'Dean! Dean!' Sam panicked and jumped from his seat. 'Leave him alone!' he then screamed at the older boy, whom just laughed at him.

'I'm okay' Dean got up and grabbed his brother. He pushed Sam away (Sam was poking his tongue at Karl though). Dean wanted to teach that boy a lesson but his dad said not to fight…what did Dean know about fighting anyway? 

* * *

At long last, the boys had their final lesson for the day. Dean slept through that one since he was over all the reading and writing. Mark Stanley knew he had fallen asleep but felt it was best to leave him since he always gave the impressed he was so tired or stressed. Maybe a little sleep would do him good.

Sam was quiet again. That was the first thing Claire Lark noticed as the home bell was getting close to ringing. He hadn't spoken a word since lunch. She had seen Dean being pulled to the ground and was about to go over when Dean just took his brother and walked away, not many kids do that at his age. 

The bell rang and woke Dean up. He felt a sense of overwhelming relief. Dean rushed out of the room with his bag and found Sam's classroom.

'Ready to go home Sammy?' he asked happily.

'Yup' Sam nodded and shoved some papers into his bag. 'I drawed a picture of you!' he said in excitement.

'Drew' Dean corrected him. 'And why?'

'We had to draw our favourite person…with paint' Sam announced.

Claire was surprise to Sam's sudden talking and also didn't want the boys to leave, as they were such a mystery but concern for her. 

'Okay, come on' Dean said. 'Dad won't wanna wait' he sighed and grabbed his brother's hand to lead him outside. 

* * *

They got to where parents were waiting near the school bus for their kids and spotted the Impala.

'Daddy!' Sam grinned and yanked open the backseat door.

'Hey, have a good day boys?' John asked, trying to sound happier than he was. 

'Oh yeah' Sam nodded. 'Fun'

'Take me home' Dean groaned as he leaned against the front seat. 'Take me home and never make me go back there ever again!' he pleaded.

* * *

**Author's notes: **There you go! Sam's first day of school. This storyline will continue for a bit but that's not all that will happen. I mean they still have weekends and nights. Will be bringing in some of John's friends again next chapter, but for now...please let me know what you thought of it! 


	12. Sandy Trouble

**Author's notes: **wow, the reviews I got were really motivating! I must say though, that my story (with the new chapters) has been corrupted and I cannot open it! Other fanfics are fine, dunno why that one ain't. But it shall be fixed on friday so yeah, just though y'all should know. Thanks 'angelscovegirl' for your review. Dean also didn't fight because at his point of his age he desn't know how to fight bullies, but he will have to learn soon... Yeah, Dean ain't a fan of maths! Thanks 'Sammygirl1963' for your review. The teachers are resonably civil, for now at least. Dunno if I'm going to expand on that yet or not, but they're definantly concerned. Sam's love for learning is shown even from this young age! Thanks 'lblficwriter' for your review. Dean not fighting back was one of my fave bits too! Thanks 'Demon Dean' for your review. Glad you think it's awesome, makes me happy!. Thanks 'banana4dean' for your review. Yeah, Dean certainly would rather do anything else instead of going to school, well, for now. Thanks 'Arid Tundra' for your review. I do know that 9+12 is 21, but Dean answered the question incorrectly, his teacher corrected him. Although after reading over it I realise I entered the incorrect number, so I apoligise...let's all pretend that the teacher said 21? :P Thanks 'indusgirl1313' for your review. You're hooked? wow :) Getting someone hooked on my story makes me feel even better about it so thanks!

Here is the next chapter everyone!

* * *

**Chapter 12 Sandy Trouble**

John had been okay with changing his schedules to be able to pick Sam and Dean up from school everyday, but it really wasn't going too well with him as the weeks went on. He hated delaying things and less moving around meant longer trips that he couldn't take. It came to a point where a town really needed his help and it was going to be too long a trip to be back in time to either drop the boys off at school or pick them up afterwards. So, he did what he thought would work. John called up Caleb but turned out he wasn't able to make it, sadly. Then he tried Bobby but he was caught up in a job…until he tried Jim and bingo! Pastor Jim was going to take care of the boys over the weekend and then Bobby would take the rest of the week, much to his regret.

* * *

That Friday morning as he dropped the boys off at school, he told them that Pastor Jim would be picking them up that afternoon and explained that it was until Monday and then Bobby would take over. Sam couldn't be happier.

* * *

The boys got through the first lesson as usual, but as lunch came around…troubles arose. Mr Stanley held Dean back to discuss his undone homework and that meant Sam was running out of things to do while he waited for Dean. Sam nervously got out a banana from his lunchbox and made his way out of the room and once in the hallway he was getting a bit scared. Dean still hadn't shown up, which left Sam no choice but to go to their usual eating spot alone. His legs didn't swing, his posture wasn't relaxed and after half a banana he was no longer hungry. Sam glanced around in panic. Lunchtime was almost over and Dean was yet to appear. Sam couldn't take it anymore and ran back inside.

'Dean!' he called and pushed open classroom door after door in search of him, giving a few teachers a fright. He finally found Dean's classroom and ran over to where his brother sat at the back of the room.

'Where were you?' Sam asked panickly, not noticing Mr Stanley.

'I didn't do my homework, got a detention' Dean replied. 'I didn't know, sorry Sammy'

'But you did do homework' Sam frowned. 'I saw you!'

Mr Stanley chose to keep out of it until Sam tried to pull his brother back outside.

'You can go now' he told Dean.

Sam grinned and was able to drag Dean from the room.

The boys bought some lunch with the lunch money Dean had and went back to their seats. The time was sort-lived though as the bell rang soon after.

'No more detentions' Sam said to Dean angrily as Dean dropped him off at his classroom.

* * *

Dean took his seat and groaned once he saw Mr Stanley writing more Math equations on the board. He was always called to the front and now he made sure he gave the wrong answer. Dean had learnt that if he played dumb then nothing was expected of him. But not this time, Mr Stanley had caught on with what Dean was saying since he'd heard Sam point out that Dean had in fact done his homework.

'Okay, try this one' Mark wrote a different sum up on the board once Dean answered the first one incorrectly. He kept doing that until Dean gave in and answered one right.

Lunch soon arrived since Dean stared out the window most the time and they had reading which made time pass faster. Sam was so relieved to see his brother come to get him again that he hugged him upon sight.

* * *

Eating their lunch in a comfortable silence, the boys were both thinking about seeing Pastor Jim again and then "Uncle" Bobby.

Last lesson was outside activities for Sam, but Dean was stuck in his classroom with writing to do. Mr Stanley said they had to write a two-page story on anything. At least Dean was good at that. He had to make up stories all the time for Sam whenever he couldn't be bothered finding a book or Sam couldn't make up his mind. He wrote about a rabbit that travelled the land defeating dragons, one of Sam's personal favourite.

Finally, the home bell rung loudly and the boys moved as fast as they could to the pick-up, waiting area. Dean took a few minutes to remember that they weren't looking for the Impala.

'Pasta Jim! Pasta Jim!' Sam squealed in joy and ran over to the man.

'Hey Sam, Hi Dean' Jim smiled at them and noticed a nervous teacher coming over.

'Excuse me, who are you?' she asked. It was Sam's teacher Mrs Claire Lark. She was on Bus duty every afternoon and noticed the boys being picked up by someone she had never seen before and got a bit suspicious.

'This is Pasta Jim, he talks to God!' Sam told her happily.

'Hm' she nodded and glanced back at the man.

'Ah, I'm Jim Murphy' Jim said. 'I'm a priest in Lincoln…John asked me to pick the boys up because he has a business trip and will be away for the weekend'

'I see' Claire nodded. 'And you're going to look after them until he gets back?'

'No, I have business at home. I will have the boys for the weekend until-'

'Uncle Bobby!' Sam jumped in joy.

Jim smirked, _perfect_. 'Yeah, their uncle Bobby will have them for the rest of the week'

Claire nodded and went back to her duties.

"Uncle Bobby" Jim echoed. 'What?'

'He said he and daddy are like brothers so we call him Uncle Bobby' Sam explained while Dean just sighed, looking forward to getting home.

* * *

As Saturday morning arrived, Dean was quite happy to sleep in late for once but Sam would not hear of it.

'Up! Up! Up!' Sam jumped harder on Dean's bed. 'Deeeean!' he complained and sat down. 'I wanna go to beach!'

'Aye?' Dean's ears suddenly started working again. 'Where?'

'The beach! Pasta Jim said it's a place with water and sand…I wanna see it!'

'Sam!' Dean groaned but pulled himself out of bed since Sam had never seen a beach. And come to think of it…Dean couldn't remember the last time he had either. 'Fine!' he grumbled.

'Yay!' Sam yelled and ran around in excitement.

* * *

Jim found a place on the sand where he could rest under the shade of his umbrella, he hated beaches but this may be the boy's only chance to see one.

'What's that?' Sam asked Dean, pointing to the ocean.

'Water?' Dean shrugged, feeling weird wearing a swimsuit that was just bought for him. Sam was in one as well.

'Where?' Sam tipped his head, a bit confused.

'Where?!' Dean looked at him. 'Sam, it's all that blue…water'

Sam's jaw dropped. 'THAT'S WATER?' He screamed and clung to Dean. 'We're gonna drown!' he squealed.

'No, we're not' Dean sighed. 'Besides you have those floaty things on your arms to prevent that'

Sam poked at his floaties and then looked at his toes, giggling to the feel of the sand. 'I wanna make castle' he told Dean.

'Okay' Dean nodded and they sat down with their buckets and spades that Jim had brought down for them.

* * *

They spent an hour working on the sand castle and Sam often tried to guard it from the water.

Jim was reading a book most of the time and then realised it was starting to get late. He looked back over to where the boys had been playing in the sand but noticed they weren't there anymore. He got up panickly but spotted them down at the water. He put his book down and wandered closer since he didn't know if they could swim, but he highly doubted Sam could.

'Jump!' Dean said and the boys jumped the small wave.

'How did all this water get here?' Sam wondered again.

'Gr' Dean grumbled…_another question_! 'Sam, look!' he distracted him by pointing to a van nearby.

'Ice cream!' Sam grinned. Both boys were then caught off guard and were knocked off their feet by the unsuspected wave.

Dean could swim, he was taught at a very young age and was fine, but it was Sam he was worried about.

'Ooh, that's what these things do' Sam said as his floaties help him stay above water until Jim grabbed him.

'Where's Dean?' Jim asked and Sam looked at the water for his brother but Dean was nowhere to be seen.

'Dean didn't have float-things!' Sam panicked and tried to pull one off himself so he could give it to Dean.

'Dean can swim' Jim then remembered John saying something about Dean learning when he was about three.

* * *

Dean made his way out of the water and looked around but things looked different. He hadn't seen Sam once the wave knocked him under and he was really scared. 'Sam?' he called out. 'Sammy!' he yelled and a young woman came over to him.

'Are you okay?' she asked, her blonde hair blowing gently in the wind.

'I can't find my brother' Dean said, not caring about the "no talking to strangers" rule since he had to find Sam.

'Dean! Dean!' he small voice reached his ears. He looked over to his right and spotted a small blur. That was all he saw before he was literally knocked backwards onto the Sam by his brother.

Dean tried to breathe while Sam hugged him happily.

'I found you' Sam smiled as he got off him.

'You okay Dean?' Pastor Jim asked; feeling a bit guilty but he was so relieved Dean was okay. For a moment there he be working out funeral plans, since John Winchester wouldn't be overly pleased to hear something had happened to one of this sons.

'I'm okay' Dean said and got up. 'Think we should stick with the Sand, hey Sammy?'

'How do you make sand sick to you?' Sam wondered but then understood. 'Oh! Yes, yes…I wanna make another castle, come on Dean!' he grabbed Dean's hand and dragged him back to their spot.

* * *

Jim was sitting closer to the boys now, too fearful of what John would do if the boys got so much of a scratch.

'Ready?' Dean asked with a grin, glancing over at Sam.

'Ready, captain Dean!' Sam announced, crouching a bit.

'Three…' Dean said and stared at their huge sand pile. 'Two…'

Sam stuck his tongue out a little and tried to wait until Dean said to jump.

'One…Go!' Dean yelled.

Jim watched as –without enough warning- Sam and Dean jumped onto their sand pile in front of him, demolishing it…all over him.

Both boys laughed hysterically and then went silent for a moment as they watched Jim get up, covered in sand.

'Revenge of the Sandman!' Dean squealed in laughter.

'Save me!' Sam joined in.

'I'm glad one of us find this amusing' Jim said, spitting some Sand out. 'Okay, time to get going boys' he said once he glanced at his now-sandy watch.

'No! We're sorry' Sam said, all laughter gone. 'We won't make you angry Sandman anymore, promise!'

'It's not that Sam' Jim told him. 'It's getting late, but tell ya what…how about we get some ice cream for the drive home?'

'Ice cream! Ice cream!' Sam jumped in joy while Dean gathered their buckets etc.

* * *

Jim drove them back to where they were currently staying in a rental house. He glanced into his mirror, smiling at the sight in the backseat.

Dean sat there; eating his chocolate ice cream while Sam was beside him licking his strawberry one. Sam's mouth was dripping with ice cream and Dean was wiping at it every chance he got since the more he kept it from going onto his clothes, the easier he'll be to clean up when he'd done.

Jim turned back to the road and was in a good mood now. It had been an eventful day for him and the boys had a great time as well. He had to head out again tomorrow though, sadly…but he felt okay with leaving them in Bobby's care. He wasn't too sure how Bobby actually was with them since they'd never met up around them, but since the boys called him "uncle Bobby" he felt confident they'll be fine. Jim had spoken with Caleb before coming here and they'd both reached an agreement that John's boy's felt like their nephews or something. Sam and Dean didn't realise how lucky they were, having their father (when he was actually around) and then having three others that felt like their uncles to protect them.

Jim gave another glance into the mirror. He saw Sam facing Dean, letting his big brother wipe his face at long last. But nothing had been able to save his hands and clothes. Dean laughed as Sam took the tissue from him and wiped Dean's face, since it was covered in ice cream too.

They're just kids, Jim thought. What could possibly go wrong?

* * *

**Author's notes: **What could possibly go wrong indeed...? Well, we know those boys enough to say...A LOT! lol, anyway...please let me know what you all think! And next chapter will be their time in Bobby's care :) Also, I'm thinking of doing a sequal, as two years from where this fic will end (the end isn't near yet, but it will end about chapter 25?) I would like to hear what y'all think about a sequal (It'll be called: Still Taking Care of Sammy)...

Please review!


	13. A week with Uncle Bobby

**Author's notes:** Thanks 'mollieclarke' for your review. It's official: I'm doing a sequal! I have even started working on it briefly. Yeah, this fic is going to reach 26 chapters. So fear not, there is still more. Either way, the sequal will have Sam a bit older, but I can ensure you it might even out-do this fic! Thanks 'Natty' for your review. Oh, I'm amazing? lol, awesome. I'm glad you really love this fic, I do too! Dean does have a hard life, thankfully Sam is there to help him through it, presumably. Thanks 'sammygirl1963' for your review. The beach was one of my fave moments. The sandman thing was my fave moment. Yeah, Bobby is very, ehem "lucky" to get a week with them lol. But their biggest troubling moment so far is yet to come! Thanks 'angelscovegirl' for your review. Winchester...it's the magic word that translates to "trouble" in all languages lol. John's friends will continue to help out the boys, and exspecially later when they're most needed. Brothers are so cute indeed! Thanks 'banana4dean', they are too cute indeed! Thanks 'demon dean', glad you enjoyed it, and here's more!Poor Bobby, lol**. **

**13 A week with Uncle Bobby**

Bobby drove up the driveway of where the boys were staying. He parked his truck nearby a car that he presumed to be Pastor Jim's. As he got out, he heard the front door swing open and the boys ran over to him. It was a nice feeling to see that they were happy to see him, and Sam even gave him a hug.

'Hey Bobby' Jim smiled and shook his head as he came outside to greet him as well.

'Hey Jim' Bobby grunted in reply and then pat Dean's head as he looked up at him with a small smile.

'I don't want Pasta Jim to go' Sam then flung his arms around Jim. 'I want you both to stay! Don't go, please' he pleaded with Jim.

'I have to' Jim sighed.

'We've had Pastor Jim for a few days Sam' Dean comforted his brother. 'And now it's Bobby's turn, okay?'

'Okay' Sam nodded sadly and let Jim go. 'Bye, I'll miss you' Sam said and gave Jim another hug.

'You too kid, look after yourselves' Jim smiled and gave them a brief wave.

'Always' Dean replied with a nod.

'Come on' Bobby said once Jim's car was gone from sight. 'So ah, you boys got homework to do…or something?'

'Homework?' Sam frowned, confused. He ran up the stairs to his room and grabbed his school bag, tossing out all it's contents. He yanked out a sheet of paper and lay on the floor, on his stomach with it and one of Dean's pencils.

Dean came up to see what he was doing and sighed.

'Need help?' Dean asked since he knew Sam had trouble reading.

'No! I'm fine!' Sam snapped, poking his tongue out to concentrate.

'Okay' Dean shrugged and stood by the doorway, watching in amusement.

Sam put his pen down and glared at Dean.

'Need help?' Dean asked again and Sam sat up pouting, arms crossed and all.

* * *

Bobby went upstairs to check on them after twenty minutes and smiled at how Dean was reading the instructions to Sam so he could do his homework. Bobby decided to just leave them and went back downstairs.

'Ten minus three?' Dean asked, reading off Sam's sheet.

'Ten' Sam held up his hands, counting each finger and thumb. 'Minus…three' he put three fingers down and counted them all up again. 'Seven! Seven, Dean!' he yelled. Sam wrote down the answer and then Dean read the next one.

'Two left okay?' Dean said. 'Four plus five, minus two?'

'Four…' Sam held up his fingers again. 'Plus five' he counted his fingers up to nine. 'And then minus two?' he put two fingers down and after another minute he yelled the answer again. 'Seven! Again?' he frowned. 'That right?'

'Yeah' Dean nodded while his brother wrote it down. 'Okay last one…six times two?'

Sam stared at him blankly.

'Ah…let's not do that one?' Dean tossed the paper away and sighed.

Dean assumed it was food time now that they were done, but Sam just went through Dean's bag and pulled out a sheet.

'No more detentions' Sam told him angrily. 'You do homework too!'

Dean almost pouted himself then, he hated useless school rubbish. But Sam was giving him that look again so he gave in.

'Fine' he grumbled and accepted the pencil Sam handed to him. He did some of this own maths and then reached the spelling section. It had several pictures and he knew what the words were but decided to keep Sam busy too, before he got annoying.

'Ah, how about you help me?' Dean offered. 'You can tell me what the picture is of and I'll spell it?'

'Okay!' Sam grinned, happy to help. 'Um…' he stared at the first picture. 'Mouse?'

Dean's teacher had gone through which words they had to spell, so he knew what he had to do…but Sam didn't know that.

'Mouse?' Dean nodded and opened his spelling book to write the word down. 'M-O-U-S-E' he spelt it out as he wrote. 'Mouse'

Sam clapped, even if he had no idea if it was right or not. 'Okay Dean…next word' he smiled.

* * *

Dean had finally finished all his homework and put it in his bag. He then went downstairs to find Bobby was looking for something to make them for dinner. So he and Sam just settled for some TV.

Dean cleaned Sam up a bit after dinner, wiping away the noddles and sauce.

'Bath time Sammy' Dean realized once he saw the time.

'Okay' Sam nodded and jumped down from his seat. He followed Dean up the stairs but paused at the bathroom door.

'Dean?' Sam asked a bit shyly.

'Yeah?' Dean turned to face him. 'What's up?'

Sam looked up for a moment and then realized what Dean meant. 'Can you have a bath with me tonight? You haven't in ages!' he pleaded. 'And bubbles? Please?'

Dean glanced at Sam's hopeful face and frowned; Dean was nine now…not exactly the age in which he loved to have a bath with his little brother, but Sam really wanted to.

'Sammy, I'm getting a bit big for that…so um, this will be one of our last times…okay?'

'Okay!' Sam grinned and raced to find the bubble bath bottle that he knew Dean hid under his bed.

'Get your pyjamas and stuff' Dean reminded Sam once he ran back, his small hand clutching the bottle for dear life.

Sam handed the bottle to Dean and than ran to get them while Dean went to get his own required clothing. Both boys had pyjamas that consisted of a long-sleeved shirt and long pants. Sam's was blue with red rabbits printed on them (his green, plane printed once mysteriously disappeared after their plane trip not too long ago), and Dean's pyjamas were red with black cars printed on them.

'Got them!' Sam grinned as he carried his stuff into the bathroom where Dean was turning on the taps. 'Bubbles!' he grinned as he watched the bubbles as they starting to form in the large tub.

* * *

Bobby frowned again and glanced up from his book to glare at the ceiling above him. Sam and Dean had been making a load of noise for the last twenty or so minutes, which was driving him insane. He was attempted to read an important book while catching some TV, but the noise was so evident that he would prefer to bash his head against a brick wall. They seemed to be having so much fun though, so Bobby just continued to try and do some study.

'Gotcha!' Dean grinned, as his handful of bubbles hit his brother's chest.

Sam frowned and grabbed some more bubbles, hitting Dean in the face.

'Take that!' he yelled. 'I win!'

'Never!' Dean yelled back and threw more bubbles.

'Look Dean! Beard' Sam giggled as he put some bubbles on his chin.

'Yeah? I can make…' Dean then went very quiet and Sam froze.

'What?' Sam whispered, quickly wiping off his "beard" with his wet hands.

'I heard something' Dean said and looked around for their towels. 'Shh' he placed a finger over his lips and Sam nodded. Dean climbed out of the tub. He dried and dressed himself before then helping Sam.

* * *

They boys crept down the stairs carefully, Sam clutching onto Dean as he walked behind him, since Dean was making sure Sam stayed behind him.

They paused at the bottom and Dean made Sam stay there, much to the five-year-olds protest. Dean inched forward and then after a few seconds he was gone from view. Sam just stood there trembling until Dean rushed back.

'Bobby's gone' Dean hissed.

Both boys then jumped as the front door opened and Bobby stood there with a handful of books.

'Something wrong?' he asked, seeing the alarmed look on both, young faces.

'Where were you?' Dean snapped, breathing again while Sam sat on the steps, relieved and a bit overwhelmed.

'You heard me? Sorry boys, I just had to get some more books' Bobby said, a bit surprised since he'd snuck out as fast and quietly as he possibly could.

'Yeah well…tell us next time' Dean frowned and pulled Sam back to his feet.

'Bedtime' Sam sighed since he knew it came right after bath time. 'Read us story, Uncle Bobby?' he asked and he was now feeling a bit sleepy.

'Ah…' Bobby looked a Sam's hopeful face and Dean's expectant one. 'Sure'

While Bobby watched them run upstairs to brush their teeth before bed, he smiled a little to himself as he slowly made his way up to their room, giving them time.

'Those boys-' he muttered to himself. '-Are gonna made damn good hunters one day'

* * *

'Ready, ready!' Sam jumped into bed and Dean helped him get comfortable. Dean then sat on the bed beside Sam so he could hear the story too. He was a little excited about hearing a story from a hunter, his dad used to tell him a few until he got too busy for it.

'Well um…there once was a…girl' Bobby improvised but then remembered and old hunter's tale.

'Is this a scary story?' Sam gasped and Dean just held his hand.

'It's okay Sammy' he smiled and Sam turned back to Bobby, waiting.

'She was walking in the woods with a basket' Bobby continued, feeling weird about telling the two boys a bedtime story. 'She looked around and then realized she was lost'

'Uh oh' Sam said.

'She then heard a sudden noise in a nearby bush-'

'Scary story!' Sam squealed, but he was a Winchester, and that meant that no matter what age…curiosity got the better of him.

'What happened?' Sam asked nervously.

'Out jumped a-' Bobby was cut off again, this time it was by Dean.

'Rabbit!' Dean snapped. He knew this story and didn't want Sam to go to bed scared, otherwise neither of them was going to get any sleep that night. Sam had a fear of "big, bad wolves" ever since he heard about little red riding hood being eaten by one. Sam has a fear and hatred of wolves because of that, even though Dean personally loved them.

'Ah…yeah…rabbit' Bobby frowned and sighed in disappointment, turning it into a kids story. 'And the rabbit…helped the girl find her way…home' he concluded.

'And they lived happily ever after' Sam added with a smug grin.

'Mmhm' Bobby nodded, raising an eyebrow. 'So ah…you boys, get some sleep' he grunted and left the room.

Sam nodded and waited until he was sure Bobby was gone. He looked up at Dean and got comfortable again. 'Okay Dean, tell me the real story' he said knowledgably. He knew Dean could tell him any scary story in the world and Sam would never really get scared. There was just something about the way Dean said them.

'Well, there was a girl close to our age and she was wandering in the dark woods, collecting berries…'

* * *

By 7am the following morning, Bobby got one of his worst possible awakenings.

'Wake Bobby up' Dean told Sam. 'We're gonna be late'

Sam ran into the room and jumped onto the end of his bed. 'UNCLE BOBBY!' he screamed, which gave Bobby such a fright that he fell off the bed altogether.

'Got to get up! We'll be late!' Sam panicked.

'What?!' Bobby growled and sat up, rubbing the back of his head. 'For what?'

'School, silly' Sam rolled his eyes. 'Come on, get up!' He grabbed Bobby's hand and tried to drag him, which was impossible for a five-year-old to do to a grown man.

'UP!' Sam demanded again, since his dragging plan wasn't working well enough.

Bobby growled but saw no choice in the matter. Only then he noticed the blue shorts and shirt uniform that the small child was wearing, complete with his wide-brimmed hat.

'Come on already!" Dean's voice was heard from the front door.

'John Winchester…I hate you' Bobby grumbled as he finally got himself up and dressed, while the boys waited out in his truck.

* * *

'See ya' Bobby said and Dean gave him a brief wave, not into the whole "hugging" thing anymore.

'Bye Uncle Bobby' Sam said and gave him a quick hug before rushing to catch up with his brother.

Dean held Sam's hand and led him towards the large building while Bobby watched them. Bobby watched the young Winchesters walking away in their uniforms, school bags and wide-brimmed hats (how the hell did John convince Dean to wear one?)…They looked, normal. Bobby sighed and started the engine. For the first time ever, he saw the boys as just perfectly normal children, struggling in a life that wasn't meant for them.

'Damnit John' he cursed and then drove off.

* * *

The day went by rather smoothly for the boys, although during one of Sam's lessons that day, his teacher Mrs Lark became very interested in the picture he was drawing. She had been walking around the room, looking at all the kid's pictures, but it was Sam's that caught her interest.

Sam stopped colouring in his person as he noticed a shadow was over it. He looked up and saw his teacher looking at his picture. 'Like it?' he asked, afraid he'd done something wrong.

'Oh yes' she smiled, reading what Sam had written. She had no idea that this small boy could actually write and spell. 'When did you learn to write words Sam?'

'My brother, I read out what word he had to spell for his homework. I remember them' he explained. 'See? That's a mouse!' he pointed.

'Wow' Mrs Larks nodded and continued to smile, but she had never seen a child of Sam's age advance so far ahead of his class on his own.

* * *

The rest of the day went by quickly for the boys and as home time arrived, they were running towards Bobby's truck as fast as they could.

'I drawed you a picture!' Sam smiled proudly as he held up a picture of Bobby's house and the dog he'd made friends with.

'Drew' Dean corrected as he helped Sam into the truck, but Sam wasn't really listening to him.

Bobby glared at the image of the dog with Sam on it's back. 'That's very good Sam' he forced up a smile and vowed that he was going to sit down later and work out what the hell Sam had drawn.

Once they got back to the house, Dean took Sam upstairs to discard their bags and hats. Then it was TV time again…

* * *

The next few days were quite uneventful and seemed to go past a bit fast. But finally, Friday came and while Sam was upstairs writing more words, Dean was in the kitchen. Dean was staring out the window and had been for over an hour now.

'He's here!' he screamed in joy and rushed outside as the Impala drove towards them and parked.

'Hey Dean' John smiled as he got out. 'Everything okay?'

'Yes sir' Dean grinned and hugged his father.

'Where's Sammy?' John wondered, seeing the absence of his youngest. 'Hey Bobby' he shook his friend's hand though.

'Sam doing school stuff' Dean rolled his eyes and gave a shrug. 'He's turning into a geek dad'

'Daddy!' the front door swung open and Sam ran over to his father with a piece of paper. 'I…' he paused and decided to use some new words when he spoke too. 'I wrote you a letter, Daddy' he held it up.

'Oh, thanks Sam' John smiled and looked at it, not expecting it to make sense, but it did. 'To Daddy' he read it out softly. 'I think you are the best daddy in the hole world but I miss you when you not here. Please stay home more daddy. I love you' John bit back his sadness at that and looked down at Sam.

'Thanks' he said again and pat his son's head. 'And thanks for taking care of my boys Bobby…they didn't give you too much trouble?'

'Them? Nah' Bobby said, half truthfully. 'Anyway, I gotta get back. Take care of yourselves boys' he said and gave them a wave after receiving a hug from Sam.

'Always' Dean replied with a nod.

They waved Bobby off and then John sighed and turned to his sons. 'Help me get some stuff from the car, then we might have some dinner hey?'

'Sure, sir' Dean nodded and went to help his father. That's how things were for Dean now: always do as he was told, never question his father's orders. It made Sam sad to see that, but he knew what happened if Dean disobeyed. And that was something he did not want to see ever again.

**

* * *

Author's notes:** there y'all go! The spelling errors in the letter were intentionally by the way, Sam can't be a top speller at this point, it would be odd. :P

Anyways, let me know what you all think of it cuz reviews are my motivation and I'm as curious as a Winchester. Oh and, if you've read up to this point and liked this fic...I can garantee you'll like the next chapter. I found it hilarious at times! Anyways, please review!

* * *


	14. Spots! Everywhere!

**Author's notes:** Thanks 'demon dean' and 'banana4dean' for your reviews. And thanks 'angelscovegirl' for your review, and you're right. John wishes he could give them a normal life but he knows it's just not possible. haha, Poor Bobby, yeah! But I would say that in this chapter...it's a question of if John is about to get a taste of "torture" himself now lol!

Enjoy!Note: this is one of my fave chapters!**

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: Spots! Everywhere!**

It was about nine in the morning when Dean awoke. He yawned sleepishly and sat upright. After realizing the time, he became aware that Sam wasn't in the room, nor could he hear him playing.

'Sam?' Dean frowned. He got up and dressed before going downstairs in search of his little brother. Dean saw his father writing things down in that journal of his at the kitchen table, but no Sam.

'Dad? You seen Sam?' he asked, getting a bit nervous.

'Hm?' John looked up. 'Oh ah, he was here a minute ago…try the bathroom'

Dean nodded and rushed upstairs, pushing open the bathroom door. 'Sam!' he snapped. 'What are you doing?' he frowned.

Sam was sitting on the floor beside the tub and had his shirt lifted. Apparently he had been drawing on himself.

'I playing connect the dots!' Sam smiled.

'That is not called connect the dots, that is called: giving Dean more work' he frowned and grabbed a damp cloth in attempt to wash it off.

After many long minutes, Dean had been able to get most of the pen off. Good thing it had been a cheap pen, so it came off easily. But he also realized why Sam thought he had been playing connect the dots: there were many small but red spots on his tummy. After further examination, Dean found a few on his brother's legs and arms.

'Ah…wait here' he said and calmly walked out of the room. Once gone from Sam's sigh, he ran downstairs in panic.

'Dad! Dad!' he yelled, skidding to a halt. 'Something's wrong with Sammy!'

'What?' John got up. 'What happened?'

'Nothing, he's got spots!' Dean said.

They raced back upstairs but were sure to calmly walk into the bathroom.

'Hey daddy' Sam smiled.

'Sam!' Dean snapped. 'Put that lid back on' he frowned.

'But I all spots!' Sam snapped, pouting. 'I hate spots'

John observed Sam for a few seconds and then backed away slightly. 'Ah, I think Sam's got…chickenpox'

'I didn't put chicken in a box!" Sam said loudly. 'I swear!'

John tried not to laugh at that but noticed Dean's confused face as well. 'Ah, it just means Sam sick. He's got spots and…' he sighed; he was terrible at explaining this. He continued to back away though and cleared his throat. 'It's contagious, but don't worry Dean…you had it when you were younger. And once someone has had it…they never get it again. A once in a lifetime thing'

'I don't remember being a dot board' Dean frowned as he tried to recall being all dotty.

'You were…three' John said, a tint of sadness in his voice.

'When did you get them daddy?' Sam wondered.

John avoided that question and just sighed. 'I ah, maybe you should take care of him. I'm got to go…out' he nodded and left the room.

'Come on spotty Sammy' Dean said as he went over (also yanking the pen from Sam's hand). 'Let's…go outside or something?'

'I don't feel too good' Sam frowned.

'Ah okay, how about we write some more words then?'

'Dean!' Sam said. 'There a billion million words! How am I going to learn them all?'

'Practice?' Dean shrugged and helped his brother up.

* * *

The next day, John called the school and told them how Sam had the chickenpox and Dean was staying home to watch over him while he was at work.

'Okay, I've got a job up North so you're all set for a few days with food and all' John said goodbye to Dean. 'And here's a new book for Sam in case you have trouble' he handed the book to Dean.

'Aren't you going to say bye to Sam?' Dean wondered, noticing the weird way his father seemed to be keeping distance from Sam.

'Let him rest' was John's only reply before he shut the door. He locked it behind him and headed over to the car. When Dean had gotten the chickenpox, Mary had been the one to care for him since John hadn't had the chickenpox yet. And he was convinced that he was not, was NOT going to go through the chickenpox, ever. John Winchester could handle demons, spirits and ghouls any day of the week…but chickenpox was something he could do without!

* * *

The next two days for Sam was a bit rough. He was having a lot of difficulty keeping food down, he was having constant temperature changes and his face was slightly paler. But Dean took good care of him. He made sure Sam was never cold, that he had something to puke in whenever he needed. Dean even shared his bed with Sam to help him sleep.

'Dean?' Sam asked a few days later, in which he was starting to feel a bit better.

'Yeah?' his brother asked as he finished cooking spaghetti-O.

'How do you know how to make me feel better when I sick?' Sam wondered, sitting up on the couch and discarding his blanket a bit.

'Lots of sleep, relaxing baths, warm food and someone to keep you company…' Dean shrugged. 'It works' he smiled. He was going to put the bowel on the table but Sam was still a bit weak.

'How about you eat this over there? It's like breakfast in bed...kinda' he frowned, since it was technically lunch, and wasn't on a bed. He used the blankets to keep the bowel steady and stop it from being too hot on Sam's legs. 'Eat up, spotty Sammy'

'Okay' Sam nodded. 'Scabetti-ohs' he said when he saw what it was. He picked up his spoon carefully though.

Dean noticed how Sam had each spoonful with extreme precaution, in case his tummy rejected it.

'The bucket's right here' Dean reminded him, putting the bucket beside Sam.

* * *

An hour later, Dean was sitting at the kitchen table very bored. He knew Sam was missing school a bit but ensured his brother that it wouldn't be fun there when he was sick. Dean wasn't a big fan of school at all, but he had to admit that without it and while Sam slept all day long…it was really boring.

Dean knew his father was probably out on a hunt right now and as much as he cared and loved his brother, he wished he could go along with him.

'I know I can do it too' Dean whispered to himself, careful not to wake Sam. All his dad did when he wasn't hunting was cleaning weapons, reading books and papers…writing in his journal.

Dean sat upright, a grin spreading across his face. A sense of excitement washed through him like a wave. 'A journal! Maybe if I show dad I know stuff too, he'll let me hut with him' Dean jumped up from his chair and ran up to the room he was sharing with Sam. He grabbed a blank, unused book from his school bag and a pen. Dean went back to the kitchen table since he didn't want to leave Sam in case he ever needed him.

Dean did a nice front page first, which was labeled: "Dean's journal, back off Sammy!" He stared at the first blank page and bit his lip. He remembered what Uncle Bobby had told him…

'Rock salt can go in guns, it makes spirits go away for some time' he read softly as he wrote. 'It can't kill people, only birds' he added. Dean grinned happily and knew his dad was going to love this! He was going to see that Dean could be a hunter too. But Dean wasn't going to show his father yet, no…not until he had lots of things written down. He knew that he could ask some of his friends but his dad had said never to call Bobby, Jim or Caleb unless absolutely necessary. Dean knew each of their numbers though. John didn't believe in writing things down so he had Dean memorizes each of them off by heart.

* * *

The next night came around and Dean was a little worried. His father was due back today but had never showed up.

'Argh!' Sam yelped softly as the phone ringing woke him suddenly.

Dean stared at it. The phone rung once and then stopped, after another second, it rung again. Dean grabbed the receiver and held it to his ear.

'Hello?' he asked. 'Dad?'

'Yeah Dean, I'm going to be here for a few more days than expected' John's voice said. 'I want you to call someone to come down in the morning before school. Caleb, Jim or Bobby. Anyone, just make sure you call them once you get off the phone to me okay? I want you to go back to school, starting tomorrow while whoever you call takes care or Sam…that's an order'

'But-' Dean started and then shut up. 'Yes sir' he nodded.

'And how is Sammy?' John wondered quickly.

'He's good' Dean sighed, glancing to see Sam puking again. 'He's not keeping much down though'

'Okay, remember: call someone' John said and hung up.

Dean hung up the phone.

'How did you know that was daddy?' Sam wondered.

'It's what he always said: if it's him, he'll ring once first and then ring back' Dean shrugged.

'Daddy never told me that' Sam frowned. 'Always said: don't touch phone'

Dean nodded. He went over to Sam and explained that someone was going to come down and look after him. That he had to go back to school, since he wasn't sick. Sam was a bit upset, so Dean promised he would bring Sam's homework back for him to do.

'Okay, you promise?' Sam asked sadly.

'Yeah, I promise' Dean nodded. He bit his lip as he watched his brother's pale, sad face. 'Don't worry, you'll be okay soon bro' he rubbed Sam's head and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead.

Sam nodded again and gave Dean a hug. He then lay back down on the couch and drifted back to sleep.

Dean wrapped the blankets tighter around Sam and went back to the phone. Dean was not okay with leaving his brother in someone else's care while he went back to stupid school. But an order was an order.

Dean picked up the receiver and stared at it for a moment, deciding whom to call.

'Hello?' Caleb asked as he answered his phone on the second ring.

'Caleb? Um…Hi' Dean felt nervous for some reason. 'I ah…It's Dean Winchester'

'Hey Dean' Caleb smiled, but sounded a bit worried. 'Is everything okay?'

'My dad didn't tell you?' Dean asked. 'Oh, well Sam's sick with chickenpox and saids I gotta call someone. C-can you come look after Sammy while I go to school?'

'Yeah…yeah sure, Dean' Caleb told him. 'I'll be there by about seven tomorrow. You boys be okay until then?'

'Yup' Dean nodded. 'See ya then' he said and hung up. He looked over at Sam and sighed. He really hated to have to leave Sam while he went to school, the one place Sam was really missing.

* * *

Caleb parked his car and got out. As he walked up to the front door, he glanced at his watch and saw it was just past seven. He knocked and identified himself. He called again, but still no answer. But then, the door opened and Sam stood there.

'Caleb!' he grinned. 'I got chicken spots' he announced.

'Yeah, I can see that' Caleb smirked. Sam's face was less pale, but a few spots were evident. There were some on his hand and feet as well. Caleb couldn't see Sam's tummy, legs and arms since his pyjamas hid them, but he was sure he was very spotty all over.

'Where's Dean?' he wondered, but then noticed the exhausted boy asleep on the floor beside the couch.

'He slept there all night' Sam said, letting Caleb in. 'I said I could share but he said no'

'Okay' Caleb nodded and crouched down to Dean. 'Hey, time to wake up kiddo' he said.

'Caleb?' Dean mumbled and woke up, feeling a bit sore. 'Oh, hey' he yawned. 'Sammy? You okay?'

'Feeling bit better' Sam shrugged, but knew his tummy was still a bit sore and his spots needed more anti-itch cream.

'Dean, get ready for school…it'll take care of Sam' Caleb told him in a very firm tone, which he knew John used whenever he gave out orders.

'Yes sir' Dean nodded and went upstairs to get changed.

'I miss school Caleb' Sam said sadly. 'I wanna get better fast, so I can go back!'

'Yeah, I know Sam…but for now, you just rest okay?'

'Okay' Sam nodded. 'But my dots are itchy'

Caleb snorted slightly and then looked around for the anti-itch cream.

Dean came back a few minutes later, all ready to go. He walked up to Caleb and held out a blue bottle. 'Anti-itch cream' he said. 'Sammy needs it twice a day and then right before he goes to bed. Don't miss any spots cuz this blue muck helps him get better'

'Sam, you okay for travel? We've got to drop Dean off and I'm not leaving you here'

'I'm good' Sam nodded and accepted the jacket Dean held out for him.

* * *

'Bye Dean!' Sam called out sadly as he and Caleb said goodbye to Dean. 'Bring me back my homework like you promised'

'I will, get sleep Sammy' Dean nodded and gave his brother a quick hug before heading towards the school building. He glanced behind him and saw Caleb's car driving off. Dean bit his lip and started walking back to the main building.

'Hey, Dean' a voice reached his ears. He turned and saw the boy that had pulled him to the ground ages ago…Karl.

'What?' Dean frowned; he hated this kid.

'Where's your crybaby brother?' Karl asked.

'Sick' Dean glared. 'And he's not a crybaby' Dean defended his brother, even if he wasn't here.

'Yeah he is, he cried then I tripped him the other day' Karl shrugged but smirked a little.

'You tripped my brother?' Dean asked, getting really mad. 'You made him cry?' he then screamed. 'How dare you! How dare you make him cry!' Dean lunged at the boy, knocking him to the ground. Dean was hitting Karl angrily, ignoring the yells from Sam's teacher Miss Lark.

'Dean! Enough!' she said louder and pulled Dean off Karl.

'He made my brother cry' Dean said in a way that made that one reason seem to justify even murder. 'And let me go!' he snapped since Miss Lark had been holding him back.

She cautiously let him go and Dean just stomped off towards his classroom since the bell was ringing loudly.

* * *

'I hope Dean's okay' Sam sighed as he handed his glass back to Caleb. 'I miss him Caleb' he said sadly.

'I know, but it's only another hour' Caleb assured him.

'How long is an hour?' Sam asked curiously.

'Sixty minutes' Caleb replied smartly. He wasn't a teacher, nor was he Dean…so if Sam wanted to learn how to tell the time, he was not going to be the one to teach it. He glanced at Sam and saw the boy staring at the old clock sitting on the wall nearby.

'Tell ya what' Caleb said. 'See the big arrow? Well, when it points to the twelve, and the little one points to the three…it means the home bell at school has rung. We have to leave a little bit before that, so about…when the big arrow points to the ten'

'Oh, okay' Sam smiled and stared at it.

Caleb nodded and turned to go upstairs but heard Sam's voice calling him.

'Caleb?'

'Yes Sam?' he asked, coming back over to the couch where the boy sat.

'How long is sixty minutes?' Sam wondered.

* * *

Dean sat angrily at the seat while he waited for Caleb and Sam to finally come and pick him up. He had Sam's homework in his bag but received a long, boring lecture from Miss Lark about fighting when he'd gone to pick it up during lunchtime.

'Why didn't Sam tell me?' Dean muttered to himself. 'When that stupid peabrain Karl tripped him and made him cry?'

Dean wanted to get up Sam for not telling him, but he knew Sam was sick and besides, being mad got him nowhere…that was what he'd learnt today.

'Dean!' Sam called out as the car stopped a few meters away.

'Hey spotty Sammy' Dean smiled and got into the car. 'I got your homework' he said.

'Thanks, Yay!' Sam grinned.

'How are ya feeling bro?'

'I'm good, ate a whole piece of pie today Dean…A whole piece!' Sam was so proud. 'And my tummy didn't get mad, chucking it back out…it liked it and my pie stayed in tummy!'

'Great' Dean smiled and crossed "snacks" off his to-do list since he had now lost his appetite.

'Dean? You okay?' Caleb wondered since Dean had a bruise on his cheek.

'Super' Dean frowned sarcastically. 'I wanna go home, okay?'

* * *

John got back about three days later and as he did, he heard Sam and Dean's laughter coming from inside. He felt good knowing that Sam must be better now.

'Dad!' Dean grinned once he saw him come inside.

'Hey Dean' John smiled but without warning, little Sam ran to him and jumped into his arms. John caught him out of instinct and flinched when Sam hugged him tight, cheek-to-cheek.

Caleb smirked at the sight of John's panicked face. He was one of the only people that knew John that was aware he'd never had the chickenpox before.

'Hey' Caleb said, keeping a smug grin to himself. He was the one that had told Sam his dad would love a big hug once he got back.

'Hey, ah…thanks Caleb' John nodded, but was a bit surprised that Dean had chosen Caleb over Bobby and Pastor Jim. 'Boys, go clean up while I say goodbye to Caleb'

'Yes sir' Dean said. 'Come on Sammy' he held out his hand and Sam grabbed it.

'So ah...Sam's looking better' John said awkwardly.

'Yeah, he should be rid of his chickenpox in another day or so' Caleb said, trying so hard not to laugh.

'Hm, great' John nodded but the joy was far from his tone. 'But, thanks for doing this'

'Dad, need a clean towel from cupboard' Dean came back. 'Can't reach'

'Okay, hang on a sec' John nodded as he shook Caleb's hand.

'Bye Dean' Caleb then added to the boy. 'You take care of Sam…and yourself'

'Always' Dean nodded. 'I will' he smiled and then gave Caleb a hug. 'Bye'

John watched Dean in a bit of confusion; he hadn't seen the look on Dean's face very often. It was one of trust and understanding. The look he gave Sam everyday, but very few others have received it from him. He turned back to Caleb as he got into his car. John knew, there was something about Caleb that made him different to Dean…

'Dad, towels?' Dean frowned, reminding him.

'Right' John nodded, going back inside. He locked the door and checked that the salt line was still intact. 'Where's Sam?'

'In his room looking for something…why?' Dean frowned.

'Ah…no reason' John sighed, going to get the towels from the laundry room.

* * *

It was Saturday morning that Sam woke up at his usual seven am. He jumped out of bed and rushed to the mirror.

'Spots be gone!' he jumped in joy, lifting up his shirt. 'No more spotty Sammy!' he yelled and ran into Dean's room. 'Dean! Dean!' he yelled, jumping onto his brother's bed.

'What?' Dean grumbled and sat up yawning.

'Look! Spots gone! I'm not spotty Sammy anymore!' he grinned. 'Just Sammy'

'Cool, way to go' Dean gave a thumbs up and lay back down, asleep at once.

'Daddy will be happy' Sam decided and climbed off the bed. He ran down the hall and opened the door to his father's room. He crept up to the bed and climbed on carefully.

'Daddy?' he whispered and then sat still as he peaked over the blankets. He gasped and jumped off the bed.

'Deeeeeeaaaaannn!!'

Dean jerked upright as he heard his brother's squeal. 'Sam? What is it?' he asked, seeing his brother running in.

'Dean! Dean!' Sam jumped onto the bed. 'Daddy! Come quick!'

Dean groaned, but allowed himself to be pulled out of bed and into his father's room.

John sat up since he'd woken to all the noise. He yawned and felt a little queasy, but then was concerned as his boys came in and stared at him.

'What?' he asked.

Dean went over to bedside table and brought a mirror over.

John couldn't understand what the hell he needed a mirror for, but noticed Sam was no longer dot-coated.

'Your spots are gone' John smiled.

'Yeah daddy' Sam nodded. 'I think I know why' he said, trying not to laugh.

John then realized what the mirror was for and stared into it. Fair enough, his face was covered in at least twenty spots.

'No' he gasped. 'I…no!'

'Daddy a dot board' Sam sniggered.

'You've never had the chickenpox before now…have you dad?' Dean asked, it was all making sense now.

'Get me my gun' John groaned, only half joking.

'Daddy not need guns' Sam pouted, hands on his hips. He rushed to his father's side and smiled. 'Daddy needs lots of sleep, relaxing baths, warm food and someone to keep you company…' he said, exactly as Dean had told him.

'It works' Dean shrugged and cracked a grin.

John growled and lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. John sighed heavily as his sons got to work and muttered to himself 'What did I do to deserve this?'

* * *

**Author's notes:** Next time: John endures an eventful day with his boys...what would possibly go wrong? We all know the answer to that!

Please let me know what you think of this chapter etc!


	15. Daddy for a Day

**Author's notes: **This has been updated earlier than planned, hope ya like!

Thanks 'angelscovegirl' for your review. And I know, I had the chickenpox when I was 16! By no means fun AT ALL!! Hehe, yeah...Winchesters have a gene for trouble. Thanks 'sammygirl1963' for your review and advice. Caleb just couldn't help himself lol! Thanks 'alwaysateen' for your review. Caleb is a fun chater for me to use, which is why he's in it frequently :P. Glad you found the chapter funny, so did I!. And thanks 'banana4dean'.

Spoilers for: _Everybody loves a clown_...(except sam, lol).

* * *

**Chapter fifteen: Daddy for a Day**

As the last day of school before the holidays arrived, John was a bit concerned. He knew that Sam had a strong interest in learning so many new things and Dean was starting to show signs of becoming a troublemaker…and John knew which side of the family he'd gotten that from. John wasn't the most behaving of kids and had probably actually done worst things in his school days than what Dean had done recently. Although, John had to admit that Dean's most current prank had been good: putting salt in his teacher's coffee, although Dean's excuse was to "_rid some of the evil in him_".

John sighed as he waited in the Impala for the home bell to ring. Yeah, he was so tempted to tell Dean some of his own neat tricks…but had Mary of been here, she'd have told him to not encourage it. John felt sad then, to know that Mary's voice was always in his head when it came to the boys normalcy…but when he was in hunter mode…she was almost nonexistent.

It was also stuck in his mind that the only reason John wasn't as immature now was mainly because of joining the marines…but the other contributor was very obvious…when he'd lost Mary, his beloved wife.

'Daddy! Daddy!' Sam came running towards him, bringing him from his thoughts.

_Daddy, _John thought. He'd love to just be that again…but maybe he needed to. The boys were getting older and he knew it had been a long time since he'd done something with them that wasn't out of guilt or duty.

'What is it Sammy?' John asked as his youngest jumped into the backseat. 'And where's Dean?'

'Dean's coming. His teacher yelling at my brother again' Sam frowned, but the annoyance was short-lived as he remembered what he had wanted to say. 'My teacher gave me a form to enter a contest!' Sam grinned, also feeling proud with his new vocabulary. He'd learnt so many new words and about how to form things called "sentences", so he was taking every chance to speak and show off his new and older way of talking.

'What kind of contest?' John raised a nervous eyebrow. The last contest had been Dean's volcano making one and that was something John never, ever wanted to re-live.

'Math' Sam grinned. 'But I gotta have you fill out form. I give it back to my teacher after holidays' he smiled. 'Daddy, what's a holiday?'

John didn't answer as he spotted Dean half out of sight near a corner. His eldest looked very mad as a taller boy stood over him and was laughing at him.

'Sam, wait here. Lock the doors' John ordered.

'But-'

'No' John told him firmly. 'I mean it'

Sam nodded sadly and did as he was told, he hated doing as he was told but he also knew Dean would take the blame and be punished if he didn't.

* * *

Dean stood there angrily as Karl punched him in the gut and made him fall on his knees.

'What the hell is going on here?' his father's voice snapped and Karl ran off in panic. 'Dean?' John asked and Dean got up, very embarrassed.

'Nothing' he shrugged. 'Just…mucking around'

'I'm not stupid' John told him in a serious tone. 'Was he bullying you? Why?'

Dean bit his lip and saw Sam watching from the car. 'Really dad, it's nothing' he sighed. 'Come on, Sammy's waiting' he said and made his way to the Impala.

John felt terrible. But he also knew this was as far as it could go. Sam was doing okay but he was a bit jumpy at times so he knew something was bothering Sam. If something made Sam jumpy it wasn't usually because someone was hurting him but more like someone was hurting Dean. And the small fights Dean was getting himself into, the pranks…it had to stop.

'Boys' John said as he reached the car again and Sam unlocked the door to let him in. 'Tomorrow, we're having a family day' he told them. 'Tomorrow, I'm not "dad" or "sir"…I'm just "daddy" okay?'

'Daddy?' Sam frowned. 'But you're always daddy' he looked confused but was excited all the same.

'You haven't been daddy for…' Dean thought for a moment. 'Well…for like five years' he sighed. The last time he'd really, truly been "daddy" was right before his mum died in that fire.

'Does daddy day include ice cream?' Sam wondered.

* * *

So the next morning at about nine, Dean and Sam were sitting at the kitchen table eating their breakfast while John was over on the couch cleaning weapons.

'What are we gonna do today dad?' Dean wondered; feeling more excited about the occasion now that it was defiantly happening.

'We visit Pasta Jim?' Sam asked hopefully. 'Teach me new words?' he added some more ideas of things he really liked.

'It's a surprise' John replied, getting up and then going to load some bags into the Impala.

'I hate surprises' Dean crossed his arms.

'I love them!' Sam grinned. 'A boo!' he then yelled and made Dean jump.

* * *

'Where are we going?' Dean complained again after an hour of driving endlessly in the car.

'We going on plane?' Sam asked, not out of ideas yet.

'No' Dean snapped. 'No, no, no!' he shook his head, pleading for someone, _anyone_ to say that planes were not the case.

'It's a surprise' John replied again, with a bit more annoyance in his tone this time.

'I don't like surprises anymore' Sam frowned.

'Boo!' Dean yelled; making Sam almost wet himself.

'I don't like Dean's jokes either' Sam pouted, glaring at his brother before poking his tongue out at him.

* * *

'Are we almost there?' Dean asked after another twenty minutes.

'Did Uncle Bobby's dog have babies?' Sam then got excited at the thought, ignoring the mortified look on his brother's face.

'Sam, Bobby's dog is a boy' Dean rolled his eyes.

'So?' Sam snapped. 'Wait…' he thought for a moment. 'Daddy? Where do babies come from?'

'We're here!!' John growled loudly. If he heard either boys ask him that kind of question again…he was going to shoot himself, twice.

Both boys stared out the window while John parked the Impala.

'Family Entertainment Center?' Dean read the sign and pulled a face. 'What, seriously?'

'Come on' John sighed.

'Boo!' Sam yelled, making both John and Dean jump that time.

'Stop it!' Dean grumbled, in disbelief that he'd just fallen for it again.

'Daddy, Dean's being mean!' Sam squealed.

John placed his palm over his face for a moment before making his way towards the large building in front of them. 'Dear God, save me' he sighed.

'Ooh, daddy's talking to God' Sam grinned.

* * *

'Daddy, why is there a mountain inside?' Sam wondered in deep concern as they headed into the indoor rock climbing area.

John was not answering any of these questions since he was having enough trouble getting the harness on Dean. A lady in uniform came over to help out since he saw he was having trouble.

'I don't like this' Dean gulped, looking up at the "mountain".

'Me neither' Sam said, not just because there was a mountain inside, but also because if Dean didn't like it…then it's probably very scary.

'Just climb the damn wall' John frowned.

'Come on, let's go' Dean grabbed Sam's hand. They were able to climb the wall together since the lady said she would take Dean's ropes while John had Sam's. John wasn't overly okay with trusting his son to a stranger…but what other choice did he have? Without each other, neither one of those boys were going to climb the wall.

Sam and Dean were shaky at first and it was hard to find the right gripping, but after half an hour, they'd gotten the hang of it and had made it up the wall. Coming down though…had made them scream and swear never to climb indoor mountains again!

* * *

The next thing that John took them to was a giant eatery, where they sat and had lunch. Dean had a burger with a soda and then a banana split, favouring three different ice cream flavours, chocolate toppings and sprinkles. Sam had a juice, and a ham roll with fruit slices, and then he had an ice cream sundae with sprinkles and lollies. John was quite happy with just a sandwich and single ice cream cone, along with two cups of coffee.

'I'm full' Dean groaned, patting his stomach.

'My too' Sam swallowed the last of his ice cream.

'Finally' John sighed. 'Okay, now we're going to go to the toilets and check out the arcade'

'Awesome' Dean smirked.

'Awesome' Sam mimicked, not too sure what an arcade was but he really needed to pee.

* * *

Another hour went by as the boys ran around crazy, playing arcade machines, air hockey, racecars…and a bunch of various other things. John was happy to just watch and occasionally help either of them out with hitting the crocodile heads or to score basketball goals. In the end, Dean won a packet of army men, a cap and a toy spider. Sam had won a stuffed teddy bear, a brightly coloured bouncy ball and a large lollypop.

'Where to next?' Dean asked in excitement since Sam was picking at his lollypop wrapper.

'Your food gone down?' John checked.

'Yes sir' Dean nodded, followed by Sam.

'Then we leave…there's a show nearby…with rides' he said. Okay, so it hadn't really turned out to be the family day he'd thought of, but it was so carefree…normal…and it made them all feel good, so what the heck?

'Rides!' Sam squealed happily.

* * *

'That was so awesome!' Dean yelled as the ride stopped and an operator unlocked the door. Dean turned to Sam. 'It's over' he told him.

Sam removed his hands from his eyes and looked around. He breathed in relief and got out of the cart.

'Okay, last right' John announced, it was starting to get a bit late. He was running low on money and it was quite a drive back.

'Octopus' Dean said to Sam, pointing to a large octopus. Each of it's leg had a round cart where the people sat. Sam gulped.

'Bumper cars' Dean pointed to another ride. There was a large oval with about twenty carts inside, all driving around fast and crashing into each other. Sam gulped again.

'Or…haunted house' Dean turned Sam around to the one right near them. The house was quite big, but was of a house. People went in one end and inside there was screaming, funny lights and noises…Sam gulped twice.

'Which one?' Dean asked, letting Sam pick.

'Ocapus' Sam pointed to it. He did not want to be scared to death in the haunted house, and he did not want to have people smashing into him in the bumper cars. The octopus meant he could cover his eyes and pretend he wasn't there.

'Okay, cool' Dean nodded, a bit disappointed since he wanted the bumper cars…but oh well.

John handed them their tickets and they rushed up to the line. Sam looked around while they waited and the felt someone touching his shoulder.

'Dean…' Sam turned around and everyone in the five-mile radius heard his loud squeal. Sam froze and stared up at the clown.

'CLOWN!' Sam yelled. He ran…not even giving Dean the chance to stop him, as he was about to hand a man their tickets.

'Sam?' Dean panicked as his brother raced off and there were over a hundred people around. 'SAM!!'

* * *

Sam ducked and dodged people all over the place as he ran as fast as he could. He didn't know where he was going, but nor did he care. That clown had grabbed him and he was damn sure it was about to kill him! He tripped and slid a few inches, his face and hands now a bit dirty. He sat there and regained his breath for a moment. Sam looked around cautiously and realized that he was surrounded by people he didn't know. No one paid any attention to him and he could not see his father or brother anywhere.

'Hey kid' a voice reached his ears and he looked up to see a man there in a train driver uniform. 'Would you like to meet Jack-o?' he asked. Sam's eyes moved to the person beside the man.

'CLOWN!' he yelped again and got back to his feet…making a run for it yet again. Until he felt a strong hand grab him and another covered his mouth.

* * *

'SAMMY!' Dean was panicking, yelling louder and louder. He was following his dad through the crowd of uncaring, annoyed people and laughing kids. He felt his hopes rise at every dark-haired boy he saw, but then he realized it wasn't Sam.

'Sam!' John was calling out as well. It had been almost half an hour since they had seen Samuel Winchester and the panic and paranoid was on the surface. They were past being polite to people, asking them to get out of their damned way. Now they tore through the crowds, yelling and screaming over the rest of the noise.

'Excuse me?' a man said, he was dressed as a train driver and beside him was a large clown.

Dean glared at the clown angrily while John faced the man.

'What?' John snapped.

'This boy, Sam?' the man asked. 'Does he have dark, messy hair? He was wearing jeans and a striped t-shirt and a dark jacket? About this tall?' he held up his hand to Sam's height.

'Yes!' John breathed in utmost relief. 'Where is he?'

'He saw Jack-o here and bolted, headed that way' the man pointed to where Sam had raced off.

'Thanks' John said and scooped Dean off his feet.

Dean was a bit shocked when his dad suddenly picked him up and ran with him on his back, but he didn't mind. He could finally see above people's heads and it would have been fun, had Sam not been missing.

* * *

'Dean! Daddy!' Sam squealed in delight once he saw them. 'Look, I met Mr policeman' Sam grinned. He was standing beside a man dressed in police uniform. The officer was holding Sam's hand protectively and was relieved when John and Dean raced over.

'Sammy!' Dean squirmed down and grabbed Sam, hugging him tightly.

'I'm sorry I ran away daddy' Sam said to John once he saw the look he was getting. 'I saw scary clown and he grabbed me. Then I fell and saw another one…Mr policeman here saved me!'

'Your son has been with me, but we were unable to locate you' the officer said. 'You need to keep a closer eye on him'

'Shut up you' Dean grumbled. 'Didn't you hear? Clowns got him' he said.

'Dean' John sighed. 'This officer saved Sam, mind your manners' he turned to the man. And for that brief moment, his hatred of authority people vanished. 'Thank you so much' he sighed, shaking his hand.

'No problem' the officer smiled and looked down at Sam. 'You're okay now Sam'

'Thank you Mr policeman' Sam smiled but then frowned. He looked up at his father, hands on his hips. 'Daddy! Why did Dean get piggyback and I not!' he squealed angrily.

* * *

By the time the three worn-out Winchesters got home, it was bath and bed for Sam and Dean.

John spat in the sink and then rinsed his mouth. He made his way towards his room but paused at Dean's room. He pushed it open and saw Dean fast asleep in his bed with his arms protectively around Sam. John smiled and felt that (apart from the clowns and search for Sam) today had turned out to be a success. He had felt really good about the three of them just being a normal family. But even then, deep down he knew it wasn't right; that they were far from a normal family and from any chance of ever becoming one.

But it was nice to know that at least one day of the year could be spend as though their lives were normal, as though they were not surrounded by such loss, pain and darkness. _One day_, John thought, _one day Sam and Dean will grow up to be strong, independent men._ He was so sure of that. He knew that no matter what happened, no matter what…his two sons were going to become very smart, strong and their bond was going to be something so unbreakable. Their loyalty to each other, the amount of trust they have…it was either going to be their greatest strength…or weakness. But John knew that day was far from now, all he could do now was to raise them the best he could, to give them days like this one (again, minus the clown scare!). He may not be father of the year…but he was going to protect his sons…even if it meant death for him.

John smiled at their sleeping forms and went over to Dena's bed. He placed the blankets more over both of them, right up to their shoulders. He found it adorable how Dean was so peaceful in his sleep, and how Sam's hair lay over his closed eyes and he never seemed to notice.

Mary wasn't around anymore, not really…but in some way she was. She was in her boys. The way Dean had such a fierce temper, the way his eyebrows formed when he frowned. The undying, unbreakable loyalty to his family…the way Dean could always look at the good in bad situations. Even by the freckles that were scattered across his nose, even the way his hair was considerably lighter than John and Sam's but only a few shades darker than Mary's.

Then with Sam, he almost had her eyes, but they were more like Mary's than they were John's. His dimples and the way he pouted. He also had her sensitivity, the way she was always so caring and gentle. Sam had a love for life that Mary had, the joy of discovery and adventure. He had her brains too. Mary had always been so good at picking up on things, figuring out the impossible.

No, Mary wasn't here, not with John…but she was in her boy's hearts and souls, where she would forever remain.

John smiled and nodded proudly. He then turned and left the room quietly, wandering in his own thoughts. He gave his sleeping sons one last glance before closing the door softly behind him…

* * *

**Author's notes: **There y'all go, While I still have several more chapter to write on this, I am also working on the sequal! Which I'm surprised in cuz I think it's better than this one! It's two years from this fic, and has dif things going on but still! :P Anyways, we're not up that yet so back to this chapter! Please let me know what you think of it, reviews are my motivation and they are very helpful. The longer/more detailed the more helpful and motivating. Anyways...please review!!

**Next chapter:** Dean continues his journal-filling quest.The boys then get to meet Missouri, but she has some troubling news for John, and Sam's showing he's a little...different. An even bigger nightmare arises, one that every parent fears of: missing children...


	16. Pending Disaster

**Author's notes:** thanks 'demon dean' for your review, glad I have support for the sequal! Thanks 'bannana4dean' for your review. It put a smile on my face :) Thanks 'angelscovegirl' for your review. Dean would never admit the fun of a piggyback, cuz yeah he thought he was too old for it. Yes, clowns are evil, but awesome fun to write about :P so expect more. Thanks 'sammygirl1963' for your review, it really moticated me and made me happy! Normal in John's eyes drama and high blood pressure. Thanks 'Iken' for your reivew and to clear up: NO. This is not an AU at all, I have written it in a way that the readers can see them meet people like missouri or Harvelle's but in a way it shouldn't change the outcome (aka show). Anyways, next chapter!**

* * *

**

**Chapter sixteen: Pending Disaster **

After a few days of recovering from their day out, John knew it was time he got focused back on hunting. He had a few possible ones that would last him some time. They had been staying around this basic area for a very long time now and John decided that if they'd stayed this long they might as well wait until the boys finished school this year. After that, they would be off again, moving around much fore frequently since staying in this once general area gave John so many limits.

John glanced over at Sam and Dean. Both boys were sitting in front of the TV, watching some boring morning shows. Neither seemed interested but bored enough to sit on the couch together and watch it.

'Hey, boys' John said and got up from the kitchen table. 'I need to do some research, want to come with me to the library?'

'Yes!' Dean jumped up, a grin spreading over his face.

'Library? What that?' Sam wondered. 'Oh, the big place with millions of books?'

'Sure is, get your jackets' John ordered.

The boys went upstairs to grab their jackets, but Dean also snuck a pen and paper into his pocket. This was a good chance for him to gather more journal-worthy information. When Caleb had some down, Dean had carefully gotten some information on demons. How they were repelled somehow by salt and holy water. And that they possessed people…that price of knowledge had Dean very concerned, even paranoid for some time, and to a point where he kept salt or holy water close by.

'Dean?' John appeared at the doorway. 'You coming?'

'Yes dad!' Dean said, keeping his paper hidden. He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and rushed after his father.

* * *

John led the boys over to the kid's section of the library and told them to stay there since he had some research to do.

'Oh wow! Look at all these books Dean' Sam grabbed him. 'Read me one! Read me one, please?' he pleaded.

Dean would much rather do some research of his own, but Sam was so excited with all the books.

'Okay, I'll read you one but then we'll have a look around'

'Okay' Sam nodded and grabbed a book. 'Jack and the Beanstalk' he smiled.

'You can read the title?' Dean asked, since Sam had never seen this book before.

'No' Sam shook his head. 'The boy that just had it said it was called that'

'Right' Dean sighed and sat himself and Sam on some beanbags to read.

* * *

Five books later, Dean and Sam wandered around the library and while Sam grabbed a book every now and again, he noticed that Dean seemed to be looking for something.

'Dean?'

'Yeah?' Dean replied, distracted.

'Whatcha looking for?' Sam asked. 'We been looking around at books for ages, but you not got one…what book you looking for?'

Dean glanced at Sam and debated on if he should tell him or not.

'Can you keep a secret?' he asked.

'What's that?' Sam wondered.

'It's when you tell someone something and then they never tell anyone else'

'What's the point in knowing something if can't tell?' Sam frowned.

'Because then it's like a special think that only a few people know, like best friends…or brothers'

'Oh, okay…I keep secret!' Sam smiled.

'Good, okay well…I'm looking for a book on…on well…' Dean frowned. 'I'm looking for a true book about supernatural stuff…like ghosts and werewolves'

Sam blinked a few times and then frowned. 'Dean, what's a true book?'

'A book that doesn't tell a story, it's just about real things' Dean explained.

'Oh, so not Jack and the Beanstalk…' Sam looked around and then pointed to the opposite end of the room. 'Over there' he said.

Dean turned around and spotted the non-fiction section. He didn't have to ask Sam how he knew that was the right area; Sam was just smart like that. He was always able to find things.

'We can't let daddy see us' Dean whispered as they went over there. 'Like we're secret agents on a mission'

'Ooh, a game!' Sam grinned and started acting sneaky as well.

* * *

Sam was sitting on the floor beside Dean as he looked through some of the books he'd brought with him. Dean was on a chair and taking notes on a few things in the book.

'Dean' Sam jumped up. 'Daddy said he would be back at three o'clock!' Sam pointed to the clock on the wall. 'Big arrow is one twelve and little arrow on three!'

Dean gasped then as he realized Sam was right. 'Come one' he grabbed his brother and they rushed back to the kid's section. 'And how did you know how to tell the time?'

'Caleb told me when it three o'clock we had to pick you up…I was sick then'

'Cool' Dean said but then jumped as his dad appeared.

'Hey boys, ready to go?'

'Yup' Sam got up. 'We were being good, we never snuck off or pretended to be secret agents so Dean could read books about true stuff'

Dean just sighed and hung his head. He should have explained a little more clearly what keeping a secret really meant.

* * *

Later that night, John told them that they would be getting up early the next morning as they were taking a trip to Kansas. So they were in bed earlier than usual and Sam woke up a little confused the next morning since he routine had been messed with.

'Dean, daddy said up' Sam told him as he climbed onto Dean's bed and just sat there.

'Sam? You okay?' Dean woke instantly since Sam wasn't his usual, energetic self.

'I woke up weird' Sam sighed. 'I'm good' he said and got off the bed. 'You getting up?'

'Yeah, I'll be down in a sec' Dean nodded, concerned that Sam was really sad but not telling him. He dressed and brushed his hair before running down where his family were waiting for him.

* * *

Dean peaked out the window as they arrived at a house. He was curious as to why they had come here since of all places, Kansas was one his father seemed to avoid.

'Come on' John grunted; he was clearly not in a good mood.

Dean got out of the Impala and was surprised as Sam grabbed his hand and stayed very close to him.

'Sam?' he questioned but the small boy just stayed quiet.

John knocked on the front door and it opened soon after.

'John Winchester?' a dark woman grinned and hugged him. 'Oh my, it's been so long!' she looked down at the boys. 'These your boys?'

'Yeah' John sighed and turned to them. 'Sam, Dean…this is a friend of mine, Miss Mosley'

Missouri looked down and saw how goofy Dean looked, but Sam looked concerned about something…nervous.

'Look at you boys!' she smiled nonetheless. 'Sam, last time I saw you…you were just a baby. And Dean, you've grown. John, he needs a haircut…look how goofy he is!' she frowned.

John looked at Dean and shrugged. 'I'll get around to it'

'You better' Missouri said. 'Well, don't just stand there, come in!' she led them inside.

'Ew, what's that smell?' Dean complained.

'Smell? Why that's my essence oils' Missouri said, looking down at Dean. 'He's as rude as last time'

'He didn't talk last time' John reminded her, confused.

'Yeah well…' Missouri shrugged and took them into her reading room where there were nice, comfortable seats to sit on.

Sam climbed onto a chair and just stayed quiet while Dean crinkled his nose some more and pulled faces at the place. John sat next to Dean and eyed the coffee table.

'Don't even think about putting one book on my coffee table!' Missouri snapped at him.

'I wasn't-'

'You're considering it' Missouri glared and then turned to Dean. 'You too'

Dean shrugged and then sat back with Sam, deciding to just keep quiet too.

'I am not a mean, old lady' Missouri snapped at Dean, which made him jump. 'You' she pointed to John. 'Poisoning Dean's mind with curse words, you should be ashamed!'

John glanced at Dean; both shared a shocked, nervous expression.

'Ah…we came for a…reason' John said but cleared his throat. 'Boys, could you go play outside for a bit? Out the back?'

'Oh yes, sure!' Dean jumped up. 'Come on Sam…Sam?'

Sam was sitting there with his arms crossed and his face at a dark look in which Dean had only seen once or twice. It was a look of loss, emptiness and deep fear.

Missouri nodded knowledgably and sighed. 'Go along Sam, she's not here'

Sam glanced at Missouri and accepted Dean's hand, following him outside.

'And you touch my flowerbed, I will whack you with a spoon!' Missouri called out to them, resulting in Dean walking into the door rather than opening it first.

"She" John echoed. 'What?'

'That boy, Sam' Missouri went sad again. 'He knows this place, not consciously…but somewhere in his mind, he's being told that this is a bad place. That his mother died somewhere close by'

'How could he know that?' John frowned. 'He was only a baby…'

'True, but he has some kind of power, an ability'

'Come again?' John was getting worried now.

'Remember last time? When you asked if Sam was okay? I said he was fine, his mind was clear and whatever had happened that night…he was unaffected?' Missouri watched John's nervous nod. 'This time is…different. Not bad, no…no' she shook her head and thought for a moment. 'No, but something else'

'Is he okay?' John gulped. If that demon had done something to his son…

'He's fine, a smart kid too' Missouri assured him. 'He's just…different than before. Like his mind is opening up to something, to so much more than most kids his age'

'What, like…you're saying he's psychic or something?'

'I don't know' she admitted. 'But it's something'

* * *

'Sammy?' Dean sat on the grass with his brother clinging to him. 'Sam, talk to me please'

'Dean' Sam sniffed and wiped his nose with his sleeve. 'I don't like it here, bad place'

'Why?' Dean asked. 'Other than that lady…'

'Dean, you don't remember?' Sam looked up at his brother. 'Daddy said mummy and us lived in Kansas…before fire took her away'

Dean's face paled then as he realized his brother was right.

'I don't like it here Dean, I feel sad…cold. Like this place telling me my mummy lived close…bad place' Sam wiped his face again.

'Come on' Dean grabbed Sam's hand and they ran back to the room.

* * *

'Daddy!' Sam cried as he followed Dean into the room. He had made John jump and it was bad enough that Missouri has said Sam was different…but then to have him come in like this.

'I wanna go home daddy' Sam cried as Dean just stood there, pale and scared.

'This place bad! Telling me to leave' Sam trembled. 'I don't want them to take you like they took mummy!' Sam pleaded with him.

'Go, I'll call' Missouri told him, seeing the poor boy's distraught. 'And get that one a haircut' she added, pointing to Dean.

'Come on boys' John picked Sam up and carried him outside with Dean clutching to his jacket as well.

* * *

They got back to the house after John had taken them out to lunch in hopes of calming them both down. Dean was rather quiet but more relaxed again. Sam was okay too, but to being so enthusiastic and hyped up.

Dean couldn't help but notice the way John was distant from Sam and hardly did anything before he was back to studying books and going over his journal. While Sam played with his bouncy ball that he'd won on their family trip some time back, Dean went up to his room to write in his own journal, adding the things they'd gathered at the library.

* * *

'School again today!' Sam cheered in joy the next morning. Dean and John had been dreading this day, but Sam was running around in excitement.

'Dean, get up! School!' Sam jumped onto his brother's bed. 'Up! Up! Up!' he squealed.

'I'M UP!' Dean growled loudly and Sam stopped. 'Sorry, I'm just…' Dean hugged Sam and then got out of bed.

'Sorry, I made you mad' Sam sniffed.

'No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled' Dean said, pulling his school shirt one and buttoned it up. 'Is dad up?'

Sam gasped. 'No! Daddy not up. I go get him up' the boy ran from the room as if he was on a misson to save the world.

* * *

John parked the Impala in front of the school and turned to the boys. 'Now remember, if anyone asks-'

'We went rock climbing and then spent some time with Uncle Bobby' Sam remembered.

'Yeah' Dean nodded, half-asleep.

'Good, now have a good day' John said.

Dean got out of the car and waiting for Sam.

'Bye daddy' Sam gave him a kiss and then got out, grabbing Dean's hand.

John was so sick and tired of all this school annoyance. Getting up at seven, making lunches and cleaning uniforms. He hated changing his schedule, and some people have probably been in danger or died since he was lacking on his hunts in order to drop the boys off and then pick them up again.

He had dropped them off and just left right away. He was seeing no point in staying and watching them go into the building this time since he had to keep researching that demon, well possible demon…he wanted to find him and kill him for taking Mary, for doing whatever he did to Sam.

* * *

'Yes, he's different or something' John told Bobby and glanced over at the clock. 'Damn, I gotta go pick up the boys' he growled. 'I'll call you later'

'Okay John, but I'm sure Sam's okay' Bobby sighed and hung up.

John grabbed the car keys and went out to the Impala. He rubbed off a dusk spot and then got in.

* * *

The school looked as it did everyday, boring and filled with noisy kids. John parked in his usual spot but when he looked to the seat, he saw that his boys weren't waiting there like they always did. Maybe Sam had to go to the toilet again? Or a teacher was lecturing Dean?

After another ten minutes, John was very nervous. He got out of the car and spotted Sam's teacher on duty as usual.

'Miss Lark' he called out and reached her, a bit out of breath. 'Have you seen the boys?'

'Pardon?' she frowned, confused. 'They weren't at school today, what do you mean?'

'No, no' John shook his head. 'I dropped them off this morning…where are they?'

'Oh my god' Miss Lark gasped. 'Sam and Dean have not been a school all day'

John just about died right then. His boys were gone; no one had seen them all day…

'I'll call the police' Miss Lark rushed back to the building.

John cursed and looked around for some clues. The only thing he saw was an empty school ground…

* * *

**Author's notes:** let me know what you think!! please review!


	17. Nowhere to be Found

**_Author's notes:_** Thanks **'demondean'** and 'banana4dean' for your reviews. Also thanks to **'lblficwriter'** for your review, you'll find out in this chapter where they vanished to. Thanks **'animefouryou'** for your review. John isn't going to be a happy camper at all. Most parents worry when their children vanish, but John also knows there's more to it than just the possible human taking them.

Thanks **'sammygirl1963'** for your review! John was indeed looking at Sam different due to what happened, but I think after this ordeal he'll just be happy to have his boys back! Missouri could tell him Sam will turn pink and he wouldn't care, well maybe he would :P. Anyways! Thanks** 'angelscovegirl'** for your review!! John should know better, you're very right. And he prob does, but his mind was too distracted with the recent turn of events, which is why this has happened; he could have prevented it. He's not father of the year at all, but he should get an award for his efforts! Hopefully these events will put him back into full parenting-alert.**

* * *

**

**Chapter Seventeen: Nowhere to be found**

'And you said you dropped them off, and then when you came to pick them up…no one had seen them?' the officer verified with John.

'Yes! Why are we going over this again? You should be out there looking for my sons!' John growled angrily.

'It's just-'

'I don't care what it is, I'm not a suspect!' John said and Bobby pulled him back.

'John, they're just doing their jobs, we'll find them' Bobby assured him. They glanced over as a few more cars turned up.

'Anything yet?' Caleb asked.

'No, idiots' John said, growling about the cops.

'Well they have to be somewhere' Jim sighed. 'Any clues?'

'No, nothing!' John snapped but then clamed down, he knew his frustration isn't getting anyone, anywhere. 'Another kid is missing as well, Karl Perkins'

'Dean said that kid was picking on him and Sam' Caleb remembered and everyone looked at him in shock. 'What?'

'Yeah, Caleb…why is Dean so comfortable around you…more than even me?' John wondered; the question had been bugging him for ages.

Caleb was actually quite surprised to hear that. 'Ah…um, I Dunno. Is he?'

'One of the children said they saw the three missing kids arguing just about the time you said you dropped Sam and Dean off' an officer announced. 'And we found Sam's hat in a bush a few meters from the school, but other than that…no leads' he sighed. 'I can assure you that we're working as hard as we can to find your boys'

'Where are the other boy's parents?' Jim then asked; noticing Karl's family weren't around.

'His mother is at work, she said to keep in touch with her' the officer said. 'Mr Winchester, do you have a recent photo of your sons?'

'Ah…' John searched his pockets but knew he didn't'

'Here' Jim handed one over. 'I took it last visit' he shrugged.

John was a bit annoyed that his friends seemed to be able to care for his boys more than he could, but it also gave him a lot of relief; to know that his friends were all here to support him and help find his boys. Jim, Bobby and Caleb…what would he ever do without them?

* * *

Dean glared some more and tried to regain some comfort on the cold, hard floor that he was sitting on. He had his back against the wall, which was as dull and colourless as the floor. He was in a small room, one that reminded him of what bedrooms look like when they've grown old, waiting for someone to move in. He sighed and winced a little, still ignoring his sore shoulder from when he was thrown into the wall after they had hit his brother. Dean looked down at his lap where Sam's head was resting. Sam had been knocked out for some time and he was nervous. Although, Sam's breathing was steady and his cut forehead wasn't bleeding as bad anymore. He moved some hair out of Sam face with his left hand since it wasn't the injured side. Dean then glanced to his right where Karl sat.

They had been arguing with Karl before some men appeared out of nowhere and grabbed them. Technically they had been after Karl and Sam, but Dean would die before he let them take his brother away without him. They had been dragged a bit and then shoved into the back of a dark van. The ride was bumping and only lasted a short time. Dean knew he couldn't fight the men off and get Sam out, so he focused on keeping his brother with him and as unharmed as possible. Then a man removed his jacket to reveal a shirt, but printed on it was an evil clown with a knife in it's mouth. Sam had gotten scared and tried to run, but they'd hit him. Dean had watched his brother fall. He and Karl had attacked the men but Dean got thrown into a wall and Karl copped a punch in the gut.

Dean and Karl sat side-by-side and hadn't said a word to each other since Karl had come over to make fun of them at school.

Dean rubbed Sam's back a little and sniffed. He hated his brother being hurt and locked up here, especially when there was nothing he could do about it.

'Is Sam okay?' Karl's soft voice asked.

Dean glanced at him in surprise and just shrugged. Just because Karl was talking to him, didn't mean Dean was going to talk back anytime soon.

Karl sighed and looked away again.

Dean moved some of Sam's hair again and then continued rubbing Sam's back.

'I'm sorry' Karl said sadly.

'Why are you so mean to us?' Dean finally asked, glaring at Karl. He wanted to blame someone for the state his brother was in.

'I dunno' Karl shrugged. 'I just, I guess I'm jealous'

"Jealous" Dean repeated in shock. 'About what?'

'You have a dad and a brother' Karl sighed. 'I only have my mum'

'Yeah well, at least you have a mum' Dean growled.

'You don't have a mum?' Karl was a bit surprised, but he did only see them when they were at school. Karl just assumed their dad was on pickup/drop-off duties.

'No' Dean snapped. 'I don't, so you're lucky to have a mum' Dean was a bit jealous of Karl now.

'But you have a dad Dean, he takes to places…like fishing trips, he teaches you stuff' Karl shrugged.

'You're wrong' Dean said, not seeing the point in being mad at Karl anymore. He was just a kid like him, someone that had lost a person important to him.

'My dad doesn't do that stuff. I mean sure he drives us places, we move around a lot though. He doesn't take us on fun trips every weekend or teach us how to build sail boats…Karl, I don't have a dad anymore than you' Dean said. 'Where is your dad?'

'Dead' Karl sniffed. 'Car accident when I was five'

'Really?' Dean was a bit surprised. 'And you're a year older than me' Dean realised that he and Karl had lost someone in the same year…how weird.

'What about your mum?' Karl wondered.

'Fire' Dean admitted, which wasn't something he did on this touchy subject. But Karl knew how he felt, Karl understood. Karl wasn't going to laugh at him for being weak, or tell him things will be okay. Because he knew it wasn't, he knew what it was like. 'I was four, my mum died in a fire. Sammy was only a baby'

Karl nodded and sighed sadly. 'Poor Sam, he doesn't even remember?'

'Nope' Dean said. 'But that's probably a good thing'

'Yeah, the memories hurt' Karl sniffed. 'And my mum changed after dad left'

'Changed? Like…became sadder? Would stay up late and cry, overworked to forget the pain of losing someone?' Dean guessed since that's what his dad had done.

'Yeah' Karl nodded, realising Dean did understand. 'Not so much now, but yeah' he looked over at Sam's sleeping form. 'I'm sorry Dean, I didn't know'

'It's okay' Dean sighed.

'How's your shoulder?' Karl saw how Dean was wincing every few minutes.

'I'll live, and you…it's not fun being punched in the gut, is it?' Dean mocked a little since Karl had punched him in the gut before.

'No, not really' Karl cracked a little smiled. 'What are we gonna do? I'm scared; it's getting late and we're stuck here'

'Karl, listen to me' Dean faced him, lowering his voice. 'We can't let Sammy get scared when he wakes up okay? I know it's scary, I know we're in a lot of trouble…but we have to make sure Sam isn't scared, that he doesn't cry'

'Okay' Karl nodded. 'You mean, you want us to be strong for Sam?'

'Yeah' Dean nodded and moved some more hair from Sam's face. 'I'm his big brother, it's my job'

'I wish I had a brother' Karl said.

'Yeah, but at least you get to be a kid' Dean replied. 'You can have friends; you can play with toys…you can do lots of stuff I can't. For me, it's all about Sammy…he comes before everything...always'

* * *

Caleb glanced over and saw how the sky was changing colours. It had reached sundown and the young Winchesters ere yet to be found. He had joined Bobby John and Pastor Jim as they searched the entire neighbourhood and surrounding areas for clues but it was just going nowhere. A few tyre marks were found near the school and Sam's school hat weren't very useful. Although the police had discovered the school bags belonging to all three boys in a trashcan a block away, which is where they were now…still searching for clues. No one was dared to say anything to John since he had looked ready to shoot anyone that dared to speak. Caleb was sick of them going nowhere with their desperate search, but what else could they do? John was currently with Bobby at the station gathering information and being questioned. Caleb and Jim were still in the streets.

'Heads or tails?' Caleb offered to Jim.

'What?' Jim looked over at him.

'Head or Tails? Loser tells John that this is hopeless' Caleb held up a coin but just got a dirty look from Jim. 'What? We have been searching non-stop. There are no clues, no evidence or indication whatsoever as to where the boys were. I'm not saying we give up, just that we need to think of another way of going about this' Caleb went over to his car and pulled out the boy's bags. He sat down and searched through them, knowing Jim would see his point and follow.

'Wait, what was that?' Jim noticed something in Dean's bag.

Caleb pulled out an open book and saw a few things scribbled on it. 'Smart kids' Caleb grinned. 'Call John, I think I know where they are!'

* * *

'Dean?' Sam asked weakly as he opened his eyes and then felt a pain in his head. 'Ow, Dean?'

'I'm here bro' Dean told him.

Sam sat up and looked around, well from what he could see. The room was a lot darker and the men had only came in once to feed them fruit, which both boys hardly touched and leaved some for Sam.

'Eat up, I bet you're hungry now' Dean said, trying to sound brave.

'Yeah' Karl nodded, trying to do the same, although Dean had mastered his tone a bit better than Karl.

'Karl?' Sam noticed him for the first time. 'You tried to save me, why?'

'Sam, eat' Dean butted in and handed him an apple.

Sam accepted the fruit and took a bite. 'Where's daddy? Where are we?'

'Don't worry Sam' Karl told him, remembering how Dean told him that they had to be brave for Sam. 'Dean and I left them a map'

'You did?' Sam asked Dean.

'Yeah, when they shoved us in the back of the van, Karl drew a rough map and I counted corners'

'We also threw your hat out right where shoved us into the van, so they know where start' Karl added.

'Wow' Sam smiled and felt heaps better. He sat there and just ate away at his apple and than two bananas.

'I need a drink' he then told Dean.

'Yeah, here' Dean handed Sam the drink bottle. He didn't tell Sam that there was only one though; meaning he and Karl hadn't had a drink yet.

'How long will it take for them to find us?' Sam wondered.

'Depends, dad and Bobby will need to calm down first and Caleb will get bored, which will annoy Jim and then they'll find our map' Dean said knowledgably. How he knew that…he wasn't sure, but he knew.

'They'll be here soon Sam' Karl said.

The door to the room opened and the men appeared.

'Come on squirt' the taller, darker man reached for Sam since he was the nearest.

'Leave him alone!' Karl jumped up at the same time Dean did.

'Back off!' Dean yelled, pushing Sam behind him protectively.

'Don't make this difficult' a beared man said. 'We got some buyers ready for your punks and we're gonna make the delivery!' he said and made a reach for Sam, which was making him cry and Dean mad.

'I said: BACK OF!' Dean screamed louder.

The man were really mad now, the third man that had a baseball bat in his hand took a swing at Dean.

Dean ducked and Karl joined his side. Karl was ten and Dean was nine, plus there was only an inch between with heights. They made a pretty good team and were able to shield Sam from the men. But the men were all at least 6 feet tall and muscular, so the boys backed into a wall. Neither was giving up though; no matter how scared they were.

'Karl, take Sam and make a run for it' Dean hissed.

'What? But Dean-'

'No, I mean it. Take care of my brother…my dad and friends should be close. Please Karl, you have to!' Dean pleaded with him.

'Okay' Karl said. 'I'll save Sam, but what about you?'

'Don't worry about me' Dean sighed, eyeing the advancing men. 'I'm not the goofy kid anymore, I'm sick of not fighting, of being emotional…it's time I grow up and fight' he said. 'One…two…'

Sam had been listening but didn't want to leave Dean. He knew Dean wasn't going to let him stay though so he was going to go what he was told.

'Three!' Dean said and ran at all three men. He kicked one in the nads and bit another's arm.

'Argh!' the men were screaming in pain and trying to grab Dean, which gave Karl and Sam their getaway.

'Stop them!' one yelled, seeing the boys fleeing from the room.

Dean raced at him and stomped on his foot, hard.

'Argh!' he cried out.

The man with the baseball bat swung it and this time Dean didn't have time to dodge it since he was caught off-guard.

Dean fell to the floor and just lay there, unconscious.

* * *

Caleb, Jim, Bobby and John arrived at the street indicated on the rough map. They all drew guns and looked around, unsure which house it was.

'Sammy' John then heard his youngest boy's cry.

'Daddy!' Sam squealed as he fled from the house behind them with Karl.

'Sam!' John rushed to him, scooping him up while Jim grabbed Karl, keeping him protected.

'Where's Dean?' Caleb asked Sam.

'H-he…inside!' Sam pointed to the house.

John handed Sam to Jim. 'Bobby!' John snapped and the two men rushed to the house. Caleb watched and then heard tyres screeching. He rushed to his car and got in, just as a black van drove around the corner fast and took off down the road. Caleb sped up and followed.

Pastor Jim watched helplessly with Karl as both vehicles disappeared from sight.

John and Bobby came back soon, fuming from ear to ear.

'Those fu-'

'John' Jim interrupted. 'Caleb went after them'

'Daddy' Sam cried some more from Jim's arms.

John grabbed Sam and held him tight. 'Sammy, I'm so sorry'

Sam hadn't heard him though and just cried for the loss of his brother. He was scared that he was never going to see Dean again.

'And are you okay kid?' Bobby asked Karl.

'Don't worry about me' he sniffed. 'Dean said that Sam is all that matters, I'm fine'

* * *

Caleb picked up speed and screeched around another corner. He wasn't going to lose sight of that van because he was almost certain that Dean was inside.

They drove for quite some time, right out of town. Caleb knew the area a little so risked a shortcut and his plan worked: the van drivers thought he had lost them.

The black van parked at a warehouse and Caleb watched from a distance as they dragged a fighting, screaming Dean from the back.

'Let me go!' Dean was yelling and trying not to cry.

'Poor kid' Caleb gasped but knew he couldn't move until they were a bit clearer from the van. He pulled out his phone and texted Jim to give him the location and told him to call the police right away. Caleb then got out of the car and made his way around back.

'Sit and shut up!' one man was snapping at Dean and hit him across the cheek, shutting him up a little. They tied him to a chair and then moved away to discuss options.

'Think he'll do? He's in good shape, good looking' one man shrugged, glancing over at Dean.

'Yeah, our buy can make good use of him, how much should we ask? Fifty thousand?'

'Nah, he's about nine or ten…make it eighty' another muttered, unaware that Caleb was only a few meters from Dean now, behind them.

Dean squirmed against the ropes and tried to free himself. He sniffed again and felt his tears flowing, which he hated because it made him look weak…or a crybaby.

'I gotta be brave' Dean whispered to himself.

'Next time look for tools' Caleb whispered from behind him, making him jump. Caleb cut the ropes loose just as the men noticed him.

'Hey!' one growled. 'What do you think you're doing?'

'Me? Nothing' Caleb stood up, holding out his bare hands. 'The police however…' he trailed off as sirens were heard and lights flashed against the walls.

'Police! We have the area completely surrounded…come out with your hands in the air!' an officer said over the megaphone.

One of the men made a grab towards Dean but Caleb held a gun out in his face.

'I wouldn't do that if I were you' he glared. Dean pulled himself from the ropes and clung to Caleb fearfully.

* * *

John sat nearby the scene as he and the police waited for the men to come out.

'Here they come!' an officer yelled and the three angry men came out with their hands behind their head.

Once they'd been shoved into the police car handcuffed, Caleb carried Dean out and handed him to John.

'Daddy!' Dean gasped and hugged him tight. 'Where's Sam? Is he and Karl okay?'

'They're fine' John said tearfully, holding Dean close. 'Pastor Jim is with them'

'I'm sorry! I should have seen them, I should have-'

'Enough Dean, it's not your fault' Caleb said, a bit annoyed that it was him that had to say it and not John. 'You saved Sam and Karl…which also helped every find you and catch them' Caleb said and Dean nodded. 'I'm proud of you' he said and patted the young boy's back.

Dean smiled a little but then looked at his father, sensing his dad wasn't happy with him or something.

'I'm glad you're okay' John said. 'And you saved the others…especially Sammy, good job son'

* * *

'Dean!' Sam squealed in joy once Dean jumped out of the Impala and over to where Sam had been waiting.

'Sammy!' Dean winced as his brother knocked him backwards onto the grass.

'You're okay' Sam snuggled against him.

'As long as my little brother is okay-' Dean said. '-I'm okay'**

* * *

**

**Author's notes: **Thanks for reading! please review cuz it makes my day and motivates me to update!!

Next time: Pastor Jim is down for a week to watch over Sam and Dean, but this is no ordinary week. Dean is finally changing into who he will become...


	18. Jim saids so!

**Author's notes:** Hey, sorry for the wait! Very long story...but i'm back now and here's another chapter! Finally. I will get around to updating my other fics asap also, so some will be updated in the next few days, others may take a little longer. But I'm working on it!

Thanks **pixie9696** for your review. There may be hurt!dean in the future, and he was hurt... insert confused face. Thanks **sammygirl1963** for your review. Yeah, Karl is still in the story at this point also, they have reached a common ground now :). Thanks **angelscovegirl **for your review. Karl and the boys are indeed friends now, or at least have an understanding. A chapter with Pastor Jim is always fun :) And this one is very significant to the boys starting to turn into the men we know now, exspecially Dean. Thanks **charlotte** for your review. Thanks, I'm glad to hear you like how I portray Dean :) Thanks **banana4dean** for your review. And yeah, the bat should have left more injury than I mentioned, it does take a few weeks to get over, but this chapter starts a few weeks later anyway :).

This is also one of my fave chapters, hope ya like! There are no major spoilers in this chapter that I know of...**

* * *

****Chapter Eighteen: Jim saids so!**

It was a few weeks later and John once again came across some schedule issues. Sam and Dean were almost over what had happened and seemed to be doing okay, so John felt confident in leaving them again, as long as someone could stay with them. He called Pastor Jim up and he agreed to come down.

'Pasta Jim! Pasta Jim!' Sam raced down the stairs that Friday afternoon when Jim arrived.

'Hey Sam' Jim smiled.

'You're staying a whole week!' Sam reminded him, fearful that he'd forgotten. 'That's a long time, Pasta Jim'

'Yeah' Jim nodded, smiling a bit.

'Sam, I need to talk to Jim for a moment' John sighed and took Jim outside to talk, while the boys went back to the TV

'Something wrong?' Jim asked.

'Nah, just…the boys need haircuts, especially Dean. And their clothes are getting a bit ragged, do you think…could you-?'

'Yeah, not a problem' Jim smiled. 'Don't worry about a thing, they'll be fine'

'Thanks, I appreciate it' John sighed and went back in to say goodbye to his boys. He also told them about their plans for tomorrow.

'Why do I have to get haircut?' Sam complained. 'I'm not a sheep! And I like my hair'

'Jim said so' John lied. He didn't have time to argue with Sam so he'd leave him for Jim to deal with.

'Pasta Jim!' Sam pouted while his dad left.

'Pastor' Jim sighed. 'Pastor Jim!'

'I said that' Sam frowned, confused. 'Why do I have to get haircut Pasta Jim?'

'Pastor' Dean corrected as well. 'And dad told you: Jim said so'

To Sam, that made no sense, so he just settled for more pouting and face pulling.

* * *

It was after lunch that Jim decided to take them out and get their new clothes, but he decided the boys needed proper haircuts since Jim believed he should never be given control of scissors.

'I like my hair!' Sam continued to squeal all the way to town. 'Leave it alone!' he placed his hands on his head, protecting his hair.

'How about we just cut it so you can see?' the lady asked kindly.

Sam glared at her. 'I don't trust you with my hair!'

'I'll cut it then' Dean offered.

'No! I don't trust you with my hair either! Pasta Jim do it'

'Ah…no, Sam I…I'm not very good at cutting hair' Jim said, backing away a bit. 'But ah, if you let this nice lady here cut a bit so you can see…we'll have ice cream later?'

Sam smiled and sat into the chair, removing his hands from his head.

Dean smiled at his brother and took the chair beside him while Jim seated himself nearby, slightly bored now.

'So how would you like your hair sweetie?' another girl with pretty blonde hair asked him.

'I want it spiky' Dean replied with a smile. 'Really short and spiky'

'Okay, you sure?' she smiled and thought up a really cool way to do it.

'Yeah' Dean nodded. 'I'm sure'

* * *

Sam glared into the mirror and checked as much of his hair as he could find.

'Okay, it's still mostly there' he nodded and then looked over as Dean got off the seat. 'Dean!' he rushed over and looked at Dean's spikier hair. 'Cool' Sam grinned.

'How does it look?' Dean asked, glancing into the mirror for the first time and adored his new look. 'Awesome!'

'Yup, looks awesome' Sam nodded and hugged Dean.

Jim came over since they were done and just about fell over when he saw Dean's haircut. He paid and then took them outside.

'Dean? You're okay with that new haircut?' Jim asked.

'Sure am, and if not…it'll grown back'

'It will?' Sam asked. 'Hair grows back?' he then frowned and tried to pull his hair out.

'Come on, let's get you boys some new clothes' Jim sighed, leading them across the road.

'Why do we need new clothes?' Sam complained once he saw the huge store.

'Pastor Jim saids so' Dean rolled his eyes.

Sam pouted and allowed Dean to push him towards the kid's section.

--

'Find three outfits each you like and we'll get them' Jim announced as his cell phone rang.

'Why?' Sam complained.

'Jim saids so' Dean sighed and grabbed Sam's hand. 'Okay, let's get mine first because you take longer'

'Do not!' Sam retaliated. 'I'm telling!'

Dean sighed and grabbed some new jeans for himself and Sam. He then grabbed a new, black jacket for himself and three cool shirts. He selected the black one mainly because it read AC DC on the front. 'Okay' he sighed and noticed Sam was wriggling his way under a clothes rack. 'Sam!' he complained.

'What? Like a cubby house in here!' Sam giggled, liking the clothes walls and that Dean couldn't reach him.

'Get out' Dean snapped.

'Who saids so?'

'I said so!' Dean growled.

'You can't say so! You're not Jim!' Sam yelled back.

* * *

'Pastor Jim' Dean tugged at his sleeve ten minutes later.

'Hang on a minute' Jim said and covered the mouthpiece. 'What Dean?'

'Sam needs you "say so" to get out from the clothes'

'Okay, tell him I said to hurry up and get out of there' Jim replied and went back to his important phone call.

'Jim saids so!' Dean snapped as he reached Sam's spot but go no reply. 'Sam?' he asked and pushed some clothes aside to see it was empty. 'SAM!' he screamed out and Sam appeared.

'Sorry!' Sam said sadly. 'I'm sorry, but I saw this' he held up a jacket with a hood and front pockets, it was also red. 'I like it'

'Okay' Dean relaxed. 'Now you need a shirt, you can have some of my old ones though so you only need one'

'Kay' Sam nodded and grabbed a stripy blue one. 'And now we have ice cream' Sam replied smugly. 'Jim said so!'

* * *

While Jim ate a burger contently, the boys licked away at their ice cream cones. Dean had chocolate while Sam had strawberry, which reminded Jim of their trip home after the beach.

'Mouth' Sam announced and Dean did his best to wipe it clean before wiping his own.

'I can't wait til dad gets home and sees our new haircuts and clothes' Dean smiled.

'Finished?' Jim checked and they nodded. 'Okay, we need to do a bit of food shopping first so come on' he reached over for Sam's hand but Dean took it so he just sighed. They crossed the street and headed into the shopping mall...

* * *

'Can we walk around while you shop?' Dean asked, feeling bored and his dad never let them leave his side in places like this.

'Okay, but only for a few minutes because we're not staying long' Jim nodded.

'Yay! Come on Sammy' Dean grabbed his brother's hand again and looked around. He spotted an unoccupied, empty trolley and smirked.

'I dunno Dean' Sam said nervously as Dean helped him into the trolley.

'Relax, it'll be fun' Dean grinned and pushed Sam down the bread section. He then sped up and pulled the trolley to a halt so he could go around the corner. He drove Sam fast down the empty row and skidded to a halt at the end again, Sam was squealing in joy over the whole thing by that point.

--

Meanwhile, a few rows down…Jim had frozen in concern once he heard the laughter coming from Sam and assumed two things: they were up to something they probably shouldn't be, and that something was bound to…

CRASH!!

…Happen.

Jim sighed and made sure he had everything. He then pushed his trolley until he spotted the boys and an overturned trolley. Sam and Dean were giggling madly inside a box of stuffed toys; the trolley had crashed into a shelf and knocked a few baby diaper packets down.

'It has now become clear why John doesn't let them out of sight' Jim muttered and made his way over to help Sam out of the box.

'Sorry' Dean said as he climbed out and then fixed the diaper packets. 'I was about to hit a man so I had to re-direct and stop the trolley' he shrugged.

'Again! Again!' Sam jumped.

'No, we have to go now' Jim told them.

'Come on' Dean reached for Sam's hand.

'Why?' he pouted.

'Jim saids so' Dean told him.

Sam frowned but did as he was told.

Jim glanced back as they followed him to the checkouts, dragging their feet in disappointment.

* * *

The next day was a Saturday and it was really hot. Dean took Sam outside since they had a good patch of shade and Jim had brought a bike down for Sam to ride, along with a helmet of course.

'Sam, take your shirt off' Dean instructed.

'Why? If I fall I hurt myself more' Sam frowned.

'Yeah, but you won't fall…besides it's too hot, trust me' Dean said since he wasn't wearing a shirt either. It was so hot that he had felt as if his shirt would melt on him.

Sam stared at Dean for a moment and then took his shirt off, tossing it over to Dean. He got onto his bike and started to ride it around wile Dean sat nearby under a tree and sipped at his cold soda.

* * *

After an hour, Dean started to notice the slight change in temperature. He glanced up and saw the darker clouds ahead and grinned. He tossed his soda can into the bin and ran out to where Sam was.

'Sam-'

'It's Sammy, not Sam!' he pouted.

'Okay, Sammy…look!' Dean pointed to the clouds and Sam stopped his bike.

'Is the sky falling?' Sam panicked, remembering one of his books.

'No, it's gonna rain' Dean said. 'Which means we won't be stinking hot anymore'

'I don't stink' Sam frowned but felt water drip onto his face.

Dean put his grey shirt back on and handed Sam's his. 'Put it on or you'll freeze'

Sam put his shirt on in record time, not wanting to freeze. He then found it a bit ticklish as more drops landed on his nose or head.

* * *

Jim heard the rain against the roof and glanced out the kitchen window, seeing the boys running around in the rain, squealing in joy and laughter.

He smiled but then noticed a piece of ice on the ground nearby…this wasn't ordinary rain.

'Sam! Dean!' he called out. 'Get inside, it's hailing!' he ordered and rushed out to get the bike.

'Hailing?' Sam pulled a face. 'What?' he asked but Dean yanked him over to the door of the door since they had come shelter there.

Jim put the bike nearby and the three of them watched as the ground soon became coated in bits of ice.

'Oh wow! It's like snow!' Sam grinned. 'Can we play in it?'

'No Sammy' Dean told him. 'Hail hurts if it hits you'

'Wait until it stops' Jim said, seeing Sam's saddened face since this was his first hailstorm to witness. He also noticed how the boys seemed to be shivering a bit.

'The hail will be going for a bit and we don't want you both to catch a cold'

* * *

He took the boys into the bathroom for a nice, warm shower. Dean dressed himself in thick, warm clothes while Jim went to dress Sam.

'Sam tickles when dressed' Dean reminded Jim.

'Do not!' Sam snapped but then giggled and squirmed slightly as the shirt was put over his head.

--

After some hot chocolate, the rain and hail had stopped and the sun was starting to come out again.

'Now can we play in hail?' Sam pleaded.

'Okay, but make sure you're warm and wearing your boots'

'Yay!' Sam jumped off his seat and ran to put his boots on.

Sam and Dean jumped on the bits of hail and tried to make a hail-man but it was beginning to melt. After half an hour they began to lose interest.

'My tummy talking' Sam announced as they headed back to the house. 'Need food!'

'Yeah' Dean nodded, placing a hand on his starving stomach.

'What would you like?' Jim asked, opening the door for them.

'Sandwiches?' Dean shrugged.

'Yum!' Sam grinned.

--

The boys sat down and ate their sandwiches in front of the TV.

'Dean?' Sam asked. 'Why is the sky blue?'

'How should I know?' Dean shrugged and took another bite of his sandwich.

'You know everything!' Sam pouted. 'Or why is the grass green?'

'Ask Pastor Jim' Dean sighed.

Sam frowned and got off the couch. 'Pasta Jim! Why is the sky blue and the grass green?'

* * *

Sunday passed by rather nicely. Sam had ridden his bike around for hours while Dean watched or read a magazine he'd found.

--

Monday came around and that meant they were back at school, much to Dean's dislike.

'Hi' Karl waved to them as he walked pass. He wasn't what you'd call a friend of theirs, but he was nicer and left them alone now. Karl had also changed from bullying people to helping them out, since he knew what it was like to be bullied.

'Hi Karl!' Sam waved back happily and then followed Dean up to the main building and along the hallway until they reached his room.

'Oh and we're having noodles for dinner tonight, Jim saids so' Sam told Dean.

'Okay Sammy, have fun' Dean sighed as the bell rang above them.

'Bye Dean' Sam waved and went inside where Miss Lark was about to begin class. He took his seat and smiled at the boy sitting beside him.

--

Dean wandered into his classroom and took his usual seat at the back and rested his head; let the "fun" begin…

* * *

As Jim picked the boys up on Thursday afternoon, he noticed the puzzled look on Sam's face. He drove them home and Sam hadn't said a word the entire time, Dean hadn't noticed though because he was struggling with the reading book he'd been given to read for homework.

Jim shut the door and watched as Dean wandered upstairs to read.

'Sam? Is something wrong?' he asked.

Sam looked up and seemed surprised that someone had spoken to him.

'Pasta Jim, I was wondering…what does God look like?'

'Ah…' Jim couldn't believe that was why Sam had been so puzzled and quiet. 'I'm not really sure, depends if he shaves' Jim shrugged.

'Like Caleb?' Sam wondered, following Jim to the kitchen.

'I mean his b…yeah, like Caleb' Jim shrugged again.

'My teacher said that the nurse at our school is very sick, she wants us all to pray for her to get better…how do I pray Pasta Jim?' Sam wondered, his voice sounding a little sad since he really liked the nurse. She had given him a pretty bandaid and a lollypop once when Karl had made him trip and fall, cutting his knee open.

'Tonight, I'll teach you' Jim nodded; smiling at the fact Sam still had faith in God. Which was probably a good thing.

* * *

Later that night, Dean was in bed reading his book in his room while Jim led Sam into his own room.

'Okay Sam, people usually pray just before they go to bed-'

'Why?' Sam asked.

'I don't know, guess it's more effective' Jim shrugged. 'Okay, you sit on your knees beside the bed with your hands together. Say what you need to say or ask God and when you're finished you say "Amen" and go to bed okay?'

'Okay Pasta Jim' Sam nodded.

'Goodnight Sam' Jim nodded and left the room, but couldn't help pausing to listen.

'Dear Mr God' Sam said, sitting on his knees with his hands together and eyes closed. 'It's Sam; remember? We met at big house near Pasta Jim house' he spoke. 'The nurse at my school is really sick so I was hoping if you could please help her get better? She's really nice and made me better when I was sad and hurt. Thankyou Mr God' Sam nodded. 'Amen' he got up, switched the light off and climbed into bed, feeling very happy. He really hoped the nurse would get better soon. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Jim smiled and went to check on Dean, seeing the boy fast asleep with the book as his pillow. Jim removed the book carefully and switched off the light.

* * *

It was Friday, but the teachers were having some sort of conference so there was no school for that day, much to Sam's displeasure.

But the boys were excited because their dad was due home any minute and they were all dressed in their new clothes, looking forward to showing John, along with their new haircuts.

'We look awesome' Dean smirked as he admired their outfits. Dean had spiked up his hair and was wearing his new jeans, AC DC shirt and black jacket. Sam was dressed in his red hooded jacket, new jeans and stripy blue shirt.

Sam smiled and then grinned even more once he heard the Impala. 'Daddy!' he squealed and ran down that stairs with Dean right behind him.

John got out of the car and saw the front door burst open.

'Wow' he gasped as he saw Dean's haircut. 'Hey boys' he greeted them, hugging them both. 'Nice new clothes and Dean…your hair…'

'Like it?' Dean asked with a proud grin.

'Yeah, cool dude'

'We're awesome' Sam nodded in a matter-factly tone.

'Is that so?' John laughed a little.

'Yup' Sam grinned. 'Dean saids so!'

* * *

**Author's notes:** Well? What did you think?! Please review :)


	19. Harvelle

**Author's Notes:** Thanks to my reviewers. **Sammygirl1963**, Yeah John knew that he was in for by taking them to the store so he got Jim to do it. **Aannabanana**, Glad you like it. **lblficwriter**, Those were great moments, I loved writing them, I'm glad you loved them too. **Emmetluver**, Cute was the plan! And I'm honored that you htink my writing skills are great! :) **Angelscovegirl**, The last line was also my fave line, was the point of the whole chapter. Yes Sam has faith and will continue to all through his life. His hairstyle I wanted to make sure I included since it's am important event. Sam's hair is longer thsn Dean's all the time through life, I wanted to provide some reason for it :P

**I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in quite awhile, gosh like 4 months? (gasps). Anyhow, that's changed now and I'll be updating again...I hope I haven't lost any of my readers but this fic wasn't abandoned I've just been incredibly busy and everything was all over the place, but I've sorted through it now and I have a lot more time on my hands. I hope you enjoy. I also plan on a sequal since this fic has less than 9 chapters left. The sequal will skip ahead a few years but not too many. This one is mostly about Dean and the next one will give a little more insight to Sam since he'll find out the truth about hunting but that doesn't mean Dean's big brother role changes at all. I hope y'all would like a sequal! Anyhow, here's the next chapter and please review! Also, sorry this chapter is short...was meant to be.**

**

* * *

****Chapter Nineteen: Harvelle**

Dean opened his eyes and looked around sleepishly. It was a weekend and both he and Sam were currently sitting in the backseat of the Impala. John had drove for quite some time before they'd parked outside a place called the Harvelle's Roadhouse. John had told his boys that he won't be long and that they had to stay with the car, which Dean was happy to do.

Although, once they had arrived, Dean was soon to notice that Sam was fast asleep and it wasn't long before boredom caught up with Dean and he'd fallen asleep too.

But he was awake now and his dad still wasn't back.

'This is boring' he sighed, sitting up straighter and looking over at his brother. He bit his lip a little and then shoved Sam.

'Sammy, you awake?' he asked but Sam just squirmed out of reach.

Dean moved closer and shoved him a little again.

'Sam, you awake?' he spoke louder.

'No!' Sam declared and tried to squirm away again but hit his head on the window. 'Owie' he frowned and sat upright. 'Where are we? Why did you wake me!' he pouted angrily, crossing his arms. He blinked and noticed the absence of their father. 'Where's daddy gone?'

'We're at that place dad was talking about, he's talking to his friends about something'

'I wanna meet daddy friends! Like Uncle Bobby, Pasta Jim and Caleb!' Sam went to get out but found the door was locked. 'Why are we locked in?'

'Dad said to stay with the car and I know you won't stay still so we're locked in' Dean sighed but then spotted something near the building.

'Look!' Sam noticed it as well. 'A girl Dean!' he said. 'I don't like girls' he frowned.

Dean saw the blonde haired girl skipping with her skip rope and unlocked his door, walking over to her.

'Wait for me!' Sam squealed and climbed out of the car, running to catch up with his brother.

'Hi' Dean said as he reached her. The girl was wearing overalls and a light red shirt; she also had blonde pigtails that were swinging as she jumped.

'Hi' she replied, still skipping.

'You're a girl' Sam pointed to her.

The blonde stopped skipping and frowned, she was about a year younger than Sam but looked like someone not to annoy.

'Yes I am!' she snapped. 'I got name!'

'What is it?' Dean wondered. 'I'm Dean'

'I'm Sammy'

'Joanne' the girl replied. 'But daddy calls me Jo' she nodded and went back to skipping.

The Winchester boys glanced up as a man came out of the building with their dad.

'Thanks Bill, I appreciate it' John nodded and shook his hand.

'No probs John, I'll call in tomorrow if I can' Bill Harvelle nodded and walked over to his four-year-old daughter. 'Hey Jo, reached a hundred yet?'

'Yes daddy!' little Jo smiled and put an arm around his neck as he crouched down.

Bill smiled at Ellen as she stood by the doorway and then glanced back as John ordered his sons back into the Impala.

'Come on Jo' he smiled, picking his daughter up. He walked up to Ellen and put an arm around her. The three of them stood there and waved to the Impala…

* * *

'Why did we not get to meet your friends?' Sam asked John sadly on the ride back home. 'We met others'

'Yeah, dad…hey come?' Dean also wondered.

'Bill Harvelle isn't going to look after you boys; he's got his own family to worry about. I'm just helping him out with something and he's going to come down tomorrow to do the same' John explained.

They got home and Sam went off to the toilet as fast as his legs could carry him, which gave Dean the chance to talk to his father.

'Dad? Is Mr Harvelle a hunter?'

'Yes Dean, he is a damn good one too' John nodded and started cleaning one of his shotguns. 'In fact, we're going on a hunting trip together next week'

'Oh' Dean said. 'Is someone gonna look after us or is Caleb or whoever coming down?'

'Bill and I are both very good hunters Dean, so I think you and Sam will be okay for a week' John nodded.

'Daddy' Sam said as he came downstairs. 'I had an accident' he said sadly and in embarrassment.

'What kind of accident?' John asked but then saw Sam's wet pants.

'Bathroom kind' Sam said, staring at his feet.

* * *

The following afternoon, Dean and Sam were in the yard playing tag when Bill Harvelle showed up.

Sam frowned and waited for his dad to greet Bill and then he rushed over.

'I'm Sammy' he said, holding out his hand, determined to meet all of his dad's friends.

'Hey Sammy' Bill shook his hand. 'Nice to meet you' he smirked and then looked down at Dean.

'Dean' he also held out his hand.

'Hey Dean, nice strong handshake there kiddo' he winked and Dean felt proud to have another hunter tell him that.

'Your sons are so well behaved' Bill said to John as they went into the house. 'What are they after?' he smirked.

'Ah, how did you know?' John said. 'Nah, Dean knows you're a hunter, it interests him'

'Yeah? Little Jo is only four but she seems pretty keen too, wouldn't say Ellen's too happy about that though' he sighed and judging by his look he was sure Ellen had expressed her opinions on the matter well.

'Oh and about the hunt' Bill frowned. 'I think we'll need to draw it out'

'Draw it out? Hm' John thought about it for a moment while the boys went back to playing.

Dean would much rather follow his dad and Bill inside and listen, but Sammy needed something to do.

'Tag!' Sam grabbed him. 'Gotcha' he grinned and then ran away from Dean.

Dean sighed and ran after his brother.

* * *

It was a few nights later that noted a change in John Winchester. It was almost midnight and Sam was asleep in his bed while Dean sat in front of the TV, eagerly waiting his father's return and he had a lot of questions to ask Bill.

It was dark and windy outside, Dean could hear the branches tap the side of the house every few minutes and it always made him jump but he soon got used to it until the front door swung open and his father walked inside. John had been looking forward to his hunt with Bill and Dean expected him to come back looking good but the man that stood before him was hardly recognizable as his father.

'Dad?' Dean wondered and approached him as his back was hunched and his face hidden from view.

'What are you doing up, Dean?' John's raspy and angry tone snapped at his eldest son.

'I was waiting for you' Dean replied. 'Are you okay? Did Bill go home?'

'Get to bed, now!' John barked so loudly that dean flinched and ran to his room as he was told.

--

Dean shut the bedroom door behind him and leaned against it. He wasn't stupid, he knew something had happened during their hunt but figured that whatever they were hunting must have gotten away or something. He'd never seen his dad like this before but wasn't about to mess with him while he was like this and decided to go to bed. Dean lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling, feeling tired but his mind was still rather active.

Dean just hoped that whatever had happened wasn't too bad and his father would be okay. Something told him it wasn't okay…that something terrible had happened tonight and his father wasn't going to recover quickly.

* * *

**Author's Notes: This chapter is short because I wanted to show the time around Bill's death but I didn't want to spend too much time on it as it's more a John moment than the boys. But it was important and I felt the need to included it. I hope you liked it and I'll update again in the next few days, depending on reviews.**

**-Mel**


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